Slender Theory
by Manifested Earth
Summary: This story is about a 20 year old named Isaac Drake who wakes up one day to find himself in "Slender: The Eight Pages." While there, Isaac decides to test a theory to defend himself against the Slender Man he devised from one of the notes. He is later rescued by an unlikely source and sent to the Sly Cooper universe. Please review and tell me what you think.
1. Chapter 1: Into the Woods (Revised)

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 1: Into the Woods

Man my head was killing me.

I don't what could've caused it, but I soon brushed it aside in realization that I was no longer lying in bed.

I pushed myself upwards and when I looked around all I could see was a dark forest.

I suppose I should introduce myself before this fun little adventure begins.

My name is Isaac Drake and I am 20 years old. I'm currently in college studying for a double Bachelor's degree in computer and electrical engineering which I happen to enjoy very much. I have thick, medium length brown hair which covers the nape of my neck and a little bit of a goatee going on that will one day develop into something epic. I'm 6'2" and I have an average build for my age.

I'm wearing a black t-shirt along with a pair of blue jeans and a brown belt. The rest of my ensemble was comprised of a pair of gray tennis shoes with white socks and a Donegal patchwork hat which hovers over my forest green eyes.

The moment I realized where I was I thought that my friends were trying to pull a joke on me.

You see, when I was younger I was kind of jumpy and other people took advantage of that and got a good laugh out of it. I, on the other hand, didn't appreciate it that much.

As a result of this, I decided to become braver and overtime their scare tactics slowly got to the point where they didn't work on me anymore. That's not to say that I still wasn't a little paranoid from my childhood, but I had gotten better.

Looking back, I thought it was only fair to return the favor and I did.

When scaring people, I find it simpler and more enjoyable to play off things that they already fear. I think that pranks or jokes where you convince someone that their life is in peril or something else of that degree is going a bit too far.

For instance, my friend David has arachnophobia which is a fear of spiders.

One night, back when I was 17 and in my junior year, I snuck into David's room as he was sleeping and I planted fake spiders around his room and on his bed. It was 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning when he woke up and when he saw those spiders he made so much noise the dead woke just so they could tell him to shut up.

I seem to be getting off topic.

Anyway, I got back at people in various ways and they decided to do the same, but found it was harder than it looked to give me a scare. They tried a number of different things and when those didn't work they kicked it up a notch.

They one time left me in an old building in another part of town. When I woke up, I was a bit concerned for my own safety, but I mainly stayed focused on finding a way out and getting home.

That concern soon dissipated as I could hear Keith, another one of my friends, laughing at David who didn't seem to like being near all of the cobwebs scattered throughout the place.

Hearing this, I slowly crept up behind Keith and I grabbed his shoulders with both of my hands which made him jump a few good feet. He wasn't laughing anymore, but I sure was.

Once I was finished, I put on a straight face and I turned to David with my right hand closed.

I looked at him, my face betraying no emotion, and I said, "Hey David, I've got something for you." I then made the tossing motion with my hand and a fake spider flew from it onto his chest. He started freaking out and my face lost its composure once again.

That wouldn't be the last time they would try such a thing, but it sure was funny and that is where I find myself at this point thinking all of this is a joke.

I took another look of my surroundings and I noticed a chain-link fence behind me that I seemed to have missed before. I thought to climb it, but it looked as if there was barbwire at the top and I didn't want to get torn up.

Deciding to find another way out, I turned around and started forwards, but I didn't get very far before my left foot made contact with something. I looked down and I saw a gray flashlight just sitting there as if it was waiting for me.

I picked it up and turned it on and when the light hit the trees something in my mind clicked as if I had seen this before.

I looked upwards and through the dense covering I could see the sky, but where it should have been light it was dark. I couldn't see myself sleeping for 24 hours straight unless I was in the hospital which was not the case and the longest I've ever slept would be 12 hours.

It suddenly came to me and I realized where I was.

Now, I like to think of myself as a pretty open-minded individual, but that doesn't mean that I automatically accept everything. Just so that I could be sure, I wanted to find one more piece of evidence that would definitely prove whether or not I was where I thought I was.

I continued onwards and I eventually found myself standing in front of a creepy tree that seemed to stand apart from the rest. On the side of it, there was a piece of white notebook paper.

The note read, "Don't look…or it takes you."

When I saw this, I kept a cool head and properly responded to the situation.

"Ah, shit."

Upon seeing the note, I closed my eyes and I slowly reached into my pocket for my iPhone.

I slowly pulled it out and I moved the screen up to my face. Pressing the home button, I unlocked the screen and the menu popped up like it should, but this didn't last for long. The phone started to buzz slightly and the screen flickered for a moment before it completely fizzled out.

I closed my eyes once more and I kept them closed as I put my phone away.

At this time, you might be wondering why my eyes are closed.

There is an explanation for this. The other night, before I went to sleep, I was playing "Slender: The Eight Pages" due to the urging of my friends. I guessed right away that it was yet another attempt to frighten me, but I humored them anyways.

Now, I'm not an expert on Slender Man by any means, but I do know a few things. I'm aware of some of his powers, that he was created as part of a contest and that there are theories out there concerning him of which I have heard a few.

When I first saw the note from earlier, I immediately came up with my own theory.

"Is the Slender Man capable of hurting or killing blind people?"

It may sound a little ridiculous, but in a situation like this I'll heed the note's warning. Plus, I've never heard of Slender Man attacking blind people or handicapped people of any kind in the mythos so there might be some backing to this theory. Besides, it's the best thing I have to keep me alive at this point.

At least it's better than the $20 dollars joke.

Seeing I was too worked up to stay still, I started walking once more and I walked for what I think was three hours.

"_I'm still frightened, but I'm honestly starting to get bored." I thought almost wanting something to happen. "My theory seems to be working so far, but what if he gets tired and just leaves me here? I would hate to starve to death in this place."_

30 minutes later…

I was beginning to get annoyed when I suddenly heard a loud noise like 20 feet away from me. It sounded like a cross between a scream and a roar. That sound was clearly not of any animal on Earth.

The first sound was soon joined by a second and it continued on for what felt like hours when it abruptly came to a stop.

Without any kind of warning, I felt what I would guess to be a tendril wrap around my waist and torso and lift me up.

I hung upside down for a second before we shot forward at speeds not humanly possible.

"_I'm starting to get nauseous." I thought hoping I didn't vomit._

I was then gently set down upon my back and I felt the tendril unwrap from around me.

A hand then gently cupped the side of my face and I could feel myself calming down as all of my troubles flew away.

In my current state, I felt another tendril wrap itself around me except it was on my right arm this time. As it tightened, I could feel a cold burning sensation running from my wrist to my shoulder. After a few seconds, the tendril loosened and it went away.

A feminine voice then spoke to me.

"_I am unable to stop him, but I shall leave you somewhere where you can grow strong and stay safe for the time being." She said in the most angelic voice I had ever heard._

_Just about anywhere else is better than here. "Can you tell me where I'll be going?" I asked as I slowly felt myself nodding off._

"_I don't have time to explain, but know that it will be one that you are familiar with." She said. I could easily grow to love that voice._

Once she was finished, I felt my mind grow heavy and I fell asleep with one last thought.

_I should have asked for her name._

**A/N: Hey everyone, I decided to revise this chapter after getting some writing tips for my later ones. I felt the chapter was lacking before and I think it looks much better now. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm trying to become a better writer.**


	2. Chapter 2: Canon Breaker

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 2: Canon Breaker

I guess it's true what they say when they say "be careful what you wish for."

Before all of this happened, I wished something would happen to make my life more interesting as things had been a bit dull lately. Though, I wouldn't have imagined I would wind up in another universe (technically two if you count me being in a Slender Man game).

Plus, I've only been awake for like five seconds and I've already encountered a problem: I can't move.

At least wherever I'm at will be familiar to me if what the voice said was true.

If this is an RPG, hopefully some low level monster doesn't find me like this. How pathetic would that be to be killed off by the weakest monster? Have someone find my body and be like "what a wuss."

Let's try to get some movement going.

I slowly tried to move my neck and within a few minutes was able to tilt my head upwards. This time, I saw that I was in a field…at night.

At least it's better than being in another damn forest.

In the distance, I could make out a two story house with its lights still on and smoke coming from the chimney. To its right, there was a large barn which made me guess this was a farm of some kind.

How quaint.

I try to move the rest of my body again, but that's a no go. Plus, I haven't had anything to eat in a while.

_Press the O button to summon tendrils._

"Where the hell did that come from?"

_I'm in your head genius._

"I thought I wasn't supposed to have an evil voice in my head."

_The keyword in that sentence is "evil."_

"I guess I can deal with this, _not like it's any worse than what I've already been through_, but what was it you were saying about tendrils?"

_Since your experience in the forest, you are now capable of learning and acquiring the abilities of the Slender Man. Take a look at your right arm._

I looked to my side and from what I could see I now had a tattoo that stretched from my shoulder to my wrist. There were a series of vertical, black parallel lines covering the length that started underneath my sleeve and around them was an intersecting pattern of what looked like tendrils.

"Even though I'm nervous about this, I have to admit that looks frickin awesome."

_I'm glad you think so. Now, one of the most basic abilities you'll be learning is how to summon tendrils. To do this, I want you to focus on your arm._

"Okay."

_Once you've done that, you will then need to move that focus from your arm to your back. Now, using that focus, imagine four tendrils shooting forth from your back and will them into existence._

Following his instructions, I tried to summon the tendrils, but nothing happened. I tried once more and still nothing.

"Are you sure you told me the ri—

Four tendrils suddenly shot forth from my back and let me tell you that hurt like a bitch.

Imagine if someone took a knife which they had placed over a roaring fire and stabbed you in the back four times with it. That's how bad that hurts.

"Son of a bitch!"

I laid there for a few minutes gasping for breath trying not to black out.

"Couldn't you have given me a warning about that?"

_I could have, but I didn't. Plus, if I had that might have made you reluctant to try._

"I suppose so."

_Now, seeing as you can't really move your body just yet, you're going to be using your tendrils as a means of getting around._

"You mean like Doc Ock."

_Exactly like Doc Ock. Moving on, you need to imagine yourself using them to walk. Your control over them is driven by your concentration and imagination._

I did as instructed and I was soon hanging two feet off the ground with my legs dangling. I slowly willed one of them to move forward and then another. I stumbled a few times, but after a little bit of practice I was able to move at a decent pace.

_Overtime, you'll get more use to using them where it will become second nature and you'll find that you can move faster with them than if you were running with your legs. At least until you learn __**"Slender Walking"**__, but that is much more difficult to do and there are other things you'll have to learn first._

"Hey, is it going to hurt every time I use one of my abilities?"

_As you gain more experience, the pain will go down drastically, but it won't completely go away. It will get to the point where you just grow use to it._

"Well that's nice."

_Oh by the way, you might want to be careful as trouble is approaching. I would recommend heading towards the house and finding a hiding place around the side._

"If something is coming that poses a threat, shouldn't I head in another direction considering the state I'm in."

_Normally, I might say yes, but considering what's about to happen you should head in the house's direction. You're also about to find out what universe you ended up in._

As he suggested, I made my way towards the house while making sure I wasn't spotted. I made my way to side where I hid in the shadows. I noticed a window close by and I decided to take a peek inside.

_Holy Crap_

Through the window, I found myself peering into the living room and inside I saw a tall, anthropomorphic raccoon smoking a pipe. The biggest shock was the tiny raccoon sitting on his knee and I immediately knew where I was.

_I'm in Sly Cooper._

_Wait a second, I recognize this scene._

Suddenly, there was a loud banging coming from the front of the house. Sly's father grabbed his son and hid him in a nearby closet along with his cane.

**A/N: This part confused me a little bit in the game. In "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus", before you fight Muggshot, Muggshot mentions that he recognizes the cane Sly has and Sly says that it's probably from when Sly's father was hitting Muggshot over the head with it. In the beginning of the game, when Sly's father fights the Fiendish Five, the cane is in the closet behind Sly and his dad's silhouette makes it look like he fought the five barehanded. I just thought I should point that out.**

After Sly was safely hidden, the front door burst down and I saw the Fiendish Five come in. There was Sir Raleigh, Mz. Ruby, Panda King, Muggshot and the piece of crap himself, Clockwerk.

I thought about stepping in, but if I did then it would screw up the timeline too much.

If Sly's father lived, then Sly would never meet Bentley and Murray, he would never form a connection with Carmelita and I never played the fourth game, but I know what happens and Le Paradox might succeed since Sly wouldn't have Bentley's time machine.

Instead, I just stood there watching and even though I knew what was going to happen I couldn't tear my eyes away.

As Sir Raleigh jumped forth, Sly's father pulled out a cane (guess he had a spare) and batted Raleigh aside with it as he jumped at him.

Muggshot pulled out two guns and began firing upon **** Cooper as he dove behind some furniture. When he heard a click, **** Cooper jumped back out and smacked him over the head with it.

Growing tired of this annoyance, Clockwerk ordered Mz. Ruby and Panda King to attack with their projectiles while he launched a few rockets himself. **** Cooper didn't stand a chance and he was blown away.

After Raleigh and Muggshot got up, a robo-falcon broke down the back door and brought in the body of Sly's mother which was thrown on top of **** Cooper and his destroyed cane.

**A/N: I thought about putting in a villainous speech to go with the arrival of the Fiendish Five, but in the game Sly didn't know anything about Clockwerk until he looked at the files which might have been revealed in the speech so I left it out.**

The Fiendish Five then ransacked the house and happened upon the vault containing the Thievius Raccoonus. They took the book and the split it up between the five of them.

I was just glad it was over and that now they were going to leave, but my thoughts were cut off by the sound of crying. I looked back through the window and I saw Sly peeking out of the closet with tears in his eyes.

It's okay to cry over something like this, but it was the wrong time what with the Fiendish Five close by. I could see that Sly was trying to hold it in, but it was still loud enough to be noticed and it was.

I saw Muggshot and Panda King come down the stairs and it didn't take long for them to find Sly.

Another thing I remembered is that when Sly fought Clockwerk, Clockwerk said he left Sly alive to prove a point so there's a chance that the events right now might have happened.

Panda King ripped the closet open and Muggshot picked Sly up by his shirt collar. They were soon joined by the rest of the Five whose eyes soon locked in on Sly.

"Hey boss, look what I found," said Muggshot.

At that moment, Sly got the first look at his family's and in the future his greatest enemy. Clockwerk stepped forth and gazed upon the young Cooper. When he looked into his eyes, Sly was so paralyzed he couldn't even blink.

"Isn't this interesting, the last of the Coopers. To see such a great line of thieves coming to an end like this, it's greatly amusing and pathetic," said Clockwerk in his robot voice.

"What should we do with him?" asked Muggshot.

"Kill him."

"Alright, you heard da boss. Say nighty night ya brat," said Muggshot before he raised one his guns to Sly's head.

_Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! This isn't supposed to happen. Clockwerk is supposed to let him go due to his own arrogance._

I don't know exactly what the hell happened next, but my sight grew blurry with tunnel vision and everything slowed down. The next thing I know, I'm inside the living room with Muggshot's wrist crushed in my hand and the gun on the floor.

That bastard drops Sly and starts screaming his head off. I slammed one of my tendrils into him and knocked him outside through a window.

Before the others can react, I slammed the heel of my shoe into Raleigh's head which knocked him out and threw him at Muggshot bowling him over.

The Panda King tried to land a few blows on me, but he is much slower than I thought he was and using strength I didn't know I had I buried my right fist into his gut. He soared through the air and joined the other two.

Mz. Ruby quickly backed away and headed out the door muttering something about "bad juju."

Now there was only Clockwerk left and he tried to attack me, but found he was unable to as I pulled off one of the Slender Man's signature abilities. Electricity started to burst forth out of him and he lost vision in one of his eyes. Clockwerk fled through the front door and he disappeared with the rest of the Five and the Thievius Raccoonus.

My vision returned to normal and I quickly became very light headed and dizzy.

_Man, none of this was supposed to happen. I wonder how much this will change canon._

I suddenly remembered Sly was in the room and I turned around to see him staring out me with a look of fear, gratitude and awe.

_Shit, I did not want anyone to see me. Well, I'm going to try to make the best of it._

"Hello, what's your name?" I asked awkwardly.

"My name's Sly. Who are you mister?"

"Well Sly, I'm Isaac and I'm a friend of the family. I was coming to visit because I heard from your father that you were going to inherit the Thievius Raccoonus so that you could continue your family's legacy. I came over to congratulate you and we were going to celebrate before those villains showed up," I lied.

"How come my dad never mentioned you before?" asked Sly.

"The reason he didn't mention me is that I'm one of a kind. You see, I'm what is called a human and others might be freaked out or bothered by me due to my appearance so I stay hidden from the public eye," I said.

"Mister, what are those things coming out of your back?" asked Sly.

"That is a complicated answer to give and I might tell you one day, but first I need you to do something for me, okay?" I said.

"Okay"

"Good, I need you to call the police and tell them what happened here, but don't tell them anything about me. If they asked what happened, tell them you hid somewhere and waited for those criminals to leave. After you've called them, I want you to stay here and wait for them to arrive. I will be close by to make sure nothing else happens." I said.

Once I finished speaking, Sly walked off into the kitchen to call the police as I just stood there thinking of my next move.

_Hey! Listen!_

"_What"_

_There's a vault upstairs._

"_So"_

_Look, you're going to need money to survive in this world and I don't think anyone will give you a job, at least not right now._

"_I really don't think anyone will serve or sell my anything what with me not being an anthro."_

_Once we're done with this, you're going to learn the next ability which is camouflage. With it, you will be able to walk amongst the populace without worry of being caught and taken away. Having some money for when we get to that point would be a good idea as you don't want to be broke on the streets._

"_But the kid just lost both of his parents and is now an orphan. I don't want to feel anymore guilty than I already do."_

_Well, you did save his life so that's something, but if you want to erase that guilt than you can make it up to him later with the money you're sure to make. His parents had to die anyway which you yourself mentioned before._

"_I know I did, but that doesn't make it any easier. You do have a point though so I guess show me where it is."_

I walked up the stairs and I found his parents' bedroom.

_The vault should be behind the wall inside the closet._

I opened up the closet and I slowly tapped the wall for a hollow spot. It didn't take very long for me to find it, but now I had to figure out how to get through it without leaving any clues behind.

_There should be a button underneath the wood beneath your foot._

"_How do you know all of this?"_

_Just think of me like you would Bentley or some other video game sidekick. Within a certain proximity, I am able to sense secrets, treasures and other rare things._

"_Well that's convenient."_

_Don't complain if it helps. Plus, multiple video games have characters like that to help you or abilities that allow you to detect rare objects._

I pulled up the floorboard and pressed the button which caused the wall to slide upwards. The vault looked just like the ones Sly runs into throughout the first game.

_Press the O to enter the vault code._

I placed my hand on the first dial.

_Whoever thought this code up clearly has no brain capacity. Dial in 8-3-7._

I quickly dialed in the code and the vault opened. As it did, this music started playing out of nowhere as a way to make me feel special.

"_Where did that music come from?"_

_It seems that although you're no longer in the game but in a reality where everything in the game actually exists, that some of aspects of the games are still in effect. I wouldn't worry too much about it._

"_Does that mean that if I die I'll respawn or that I can get more lives if I collect one hundred coins?"_

_I don't think so. It will probably be minor things like that music just now._

Inside the vault, there were multiple wads of cash, jewels and other valuables. I reached my hands in and started to grab for things, but when I came in contact with them they disappeared.

"_Think you can tell me what happened?"_

_Probably one of those game mechanics we were just talking about. I wouldn't worry too much. If you need to buy something, the money will appear to you or it will be deducted without you having to do anything._

I closed the vault door and pushed the button again to close the wall. I then slid the floorboard back into place and made sure not to leave any traces behind.

I took a look around the room and I saw a few portraits hanging on the walls.

Sly's parents' upper bodies or heads were cut off in all of them and the camera seemed to be solely focused on Sly.

"_What's with these people and hiding their faces?"_

_I honestly have no idea. I guess it's just an easy way to keep the gamers curious and to get them to play future games._

"_I suppose so."_

I was about to leave the room when I saw a frame sitting on the bedside table. The picture show Sly and his parents having a fun time, but this one actually showed their faces in it. Knowing that Sly was going to be an orphan soon, I took the photo out of the frame and stuck it in my pocket. I thought it would be a good memento for him which I'll give to him someday.

I left the room and headed back down the stairs to see Sly sitting in his father's chair with a sad expression. I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me with those big red eyes and even though this is a sad occasion I couldn't help but think.

_That is frickin adorable._

"What's going to happen to me?" asked Sly.

"Well buddy, since your parents are no longer with us, you will probably end up in an orphanage," I said.

_I don't know if I'm going about this the right way, but I don't want to lie to him._

"Can't I come with you?" asked Sly.

_Not making this easy for me._

"I'm sorry, but you can't. You see, other people, as I said before, would not react kindly to me and I don't want you getting involved with that. You would have to stay in hiding with me and you wouldn't be able to experience the world or make friends or much of anything else. You'll be fine wherever you go and even though you won't see me around that doesn't mean I still won't keep an eye on you," I said.

I was about to continue when I heard police sirens in the distance. Hearing this, I gave Sly a big hug and into his ear I said, "Things may be tough right now, but I promise you that they will get better in the future."

I let go of him and gave him a quick wave before I ran out the back door. I made it a short way before all of the events suddenly caught up to me. I was hit by a wave of fatigue and my eyes were so tired I couldn't see straight.

_This is a result of that burst of power from before when you rescued Sly. You'll be okay later, but you're going to pass out within the next thirty seconds._

I looked around and I spotted a hay stack over by the barn. Before I collapsed, I threw myself into it so that I could remain hidden until I was rested the next day.

**A/N: I didn't think I was going to type this many words this chapter, but I found that ideas just kept coming to me one after another and I couldn't stop. If you see any mistakes, then please send me a review or just send me a review anyway to tell me what you think of the story. I think this chapter turned out a lot better than the last one. I know the voice in the head thing has been done multiple times, but if I didn't do this than I think it wouldn't have moved along as well as it has.**


	3. Chapter 3: Hiding in Plain Sight

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 3: Hiding in Plain Sight

_Isaac__…_

"ZZZ…"

_Isaac…_

"ZZZ…"

_WAKE THE HELL UP!_

I slowly opened my eyes and I have to tell you, I'm not feeling much better than I did the past few days or however long it has been (I lost track of time what with being dragged from place to place and blacking out constantly). I need to find a bed.

"_Why'd you have to wake me up? I was having an epic dream."_

_Well, for one it's morning and we've got some stuff to take care of. Also, your dream was about to take a weird turn so be grateful I woke you up when I did. Just let me say, that elixir wasn't what you thought it was._

"_Alright, at least my headache is gone for the moment."_

I reached forwards with both of my hands and made an opening in the hay. Looking outside, it looked to be around six or seven in the morning as I could see the sun hovering over the horizon and the sky was cast in marvelous shades of blue and orange.

"_What's first on the agenda?"_

_We need to get out of here and find somewhere private so I can teach you your next ability "__**Camouflage**__." Once you've learned how to do it, you'll be able to move around town without arousing suspicion or having to hide. The populace will see you as one of their own._

"_Do I have to be standing to do it? I'm asking this because I'm assuming that the police have already started an investigation and I can't tell if anyone is currently at the crime scene without getting closer. Plus, running out into the open looking for a hiding place doesn't seem like a good idea to me."_

_It's easier to do while standing, but you don't need to be. Have you found a hiding place?_

"_From here, it looks like the grass gets taller the farther out from the property you go. I can't tell exactly how tall it is, but it should be enough to hide us."_

_Let's get moving then._

Making sure the coast was clear, I climbed out of the haystack, without making too much noise, and I quickly shook the strands of hay off that were stuck on my clothes and hair.

I crept around to the backside of the barn so that I couldn't be seen from the house if anyone happened to be close by.

I bolted so fast I'd put an Olympic runner to shame as I made it to the field in what seemed like no time at all. The field was composed of thin strands of tall, green grass, but it was also covered in a large expanse of yellow sunflowers which seemed to roll as it stretched onwards.

I dove into the covering the flowers provided and turned around to see if I had been spotted. When I saw that I was okay, I lied down on my back and decided to start my training.

_Now that we're hidden, we shall now continue. To camouflage yourself, I want you to choose an animal of your preference and create a new identity and image around that._

I instantly knew what I was going to be and I drew up in the image in my mind.

I was going to be a gray wolf with a slightly lighter shade of fur around my eyes and mouth. The inner part of my ears was of the same shade of light grey and it also covered the front of my neck, chest and the lower parts of my arms and legs. I decided to make myself a little taller so I would be 6'5" and I gave myself piercing blue eyes. I also had a bit of gray hair that started behind my ears and went down the back of my neck to my shoulders which gave me a little bit of a wild look. I was going to have a buff and agile physique at the same time too.

He will wear a blue sleeveless shirt along with a pair of black jeans with a hole for his tail. He'll also have a pair of black running shoes and a dark grey jacket that's open at the front.

I shall name him Victor Donovan Drake.

_I never told Sly my last name so he shouldn't make the connection._

"_I'm done. What do I do next?"_

_Do you remember what I said about the tendrils the other day? Well, it's the same deal. Concentrate on the image that you have created and push everything else out of your mind. Once you've done that, picture yourself transforming into the image and the rest should work itself out._

My body slowly began to change and as it did a cold feeling passed through me. Not only did I change, but my clothes did as well as my pants turned from blue to black and I heard a hole rip in the back from where my tail appeared. Fur sprouted up all over me and my hands and feet became a little more paw-like as my nails turned into black claws. My ears disappeared and two new ones appeared on the top of my head along with my hair growing and changing color.

After a few minutes had passed, I now looked exactly like the image in my head.

"_This disguise is pretty realistic. It almost makes me think I'm an actual wolf."_

_Well, you actually kind of are now._

"_What?"_

_There's no need to worry, you're not stuck like this. You will be able to transform back and forth between this and your human form later._

_While you're in this form, you will have all the capabilities of a wolf. Some of your senses will be heightened, you'll have the use of your claws and a powerful bite and you'll have strength and speed as well._

"_That's pretty neat. You know, it's kind of funny how fast I'm learning these powers."_

_Don't get ahead of yourself. You have only scratched the surface and there is still a lot to learn. I've also been giving you assistance thus making it easier for you and later you're going to find it will be harder to transform and summon tendrils than it was before._

"_What's up next?"_

*Rumble*

"_I guess that answers that. By the way, how long has it been since I've gone through all of this crap?"_

_It's been a little over two days since you were abducted from your home. Concerning your hunger, there's a warning I should give you. Never allow yourself to go too long without food and never allow yourself to become too angry or you might lose yourself and do something terrible. To learn and control your powers, you must stay in perfect control._

"_Thanks for the heads up. Let's go find something to eat."_

I rose from the sunflowers and made my way towards the dirt road leading up to Sly's house. I took a glance over at his house, or what use to be, and I saw a barricade set up in front of the front door with yellow police tape which I guessed was saying "Do Not Cross" in French.

Having detected no one around with my enhanced senses, I ducked under the tape and walked into the living room. My gaze immediately fell upon where the bodies of Sly's parents laid just the other night and I felt a weight on my shoulders that I was too busy to notice before. This whole situation was getting too out of hand, but I was going to deal with it to the best of my ability and make things right.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you both died the other night and that I didn't even do anything to stop it. I was unsure of myself and I didn't know what effect my interference would have had on things, but I guess it's too late to worry about that now. I'm not even sure if I could have saved you since I was in a weakened state and just learning about my powers." I said in a quiet voice.

"_Why the fuck was I pulled into all of this?" I asked with exasperation._

"While I couldn't do anything for you, I'll make sure to keep an eye Sly and protect him from any harm that may come his way. I'll make sure he becomes the great thief that you would want him to be and be proud to see and that he continues the Cooper legacy. I will help him reclaim his inheritance and I shall assist him with whatever he'll undertake and whenever he needs it."

"I promise all of this to you." I said with firm conviction.

I paused and silently continued to stare at the floor for what seemed like hours.

"_Dammit!"_

I raised my right hand and I quickly spun around and swung my claws at the wall which left five deep marks in the red wood.

"_I don't even care if I leave a trace of myself behind right now."_

I lifted my hand again and rubbed it down the front of my face before I slowly shook my head in sadness. Letting out a sigh, I took one last look at the floor before turning around and making for the front door.

"Bye."

_Thank you._

I spun around, but I wasn't able to see or detect anyone else in the house. I slowly turned back towards the door and let a small smile grace my features.

"You're welcome."

As I stepped out of the house, I saw a police car make its way up the dirt path towards me and I didn't have any time to run or hide.

The police car was white going down the center of the hood, over the roof and down the center of the back. The doors on each side were also white while the rest of the car was black. In the center of both doors, there was a star over an upside down pentagon which clearly showed this was Interpol.

The car came to a stop a short distance from me as I stood on the porch. The left door opened and from out of it stepped what I think was a badger.

He was dressed in gray pants along with a pair of black shoes, a light gray collared shirt with black suspenders and a red tie. The outer parts of his arms were a medium shade of brown while the inner parts facing him were beige. The area around his mouth and eyes along with the inside of his ears were beige while the rest of his head was a medium brown.

He had a thick white moustache underneath a pink noise and he had two thick white eyebrows. There was also some black fur outlining the beige on his arms, covering the back of his ears and running along both sides of the bridge of his nose. He also had a light cigar sticking out the side of his mouth and to finish off the ensemble, he had a gold Interpol badge on over his heart.

He looked to be about 5'7" and I think he was in his mid-30s, but I couldn't tell for sure. The guy was also a little overweight, but not enough to hinder him it seems. As he got closer, I could see that he had brown eyes.

"You do realize this is a crime scene don't you?" he asked with a hint of irritation.

"Yes I do, but I'm not just a random passerby. I was a friend of the man who was murdered here last night and I caught wind of it earlier this morning in a news report." I responded.

"If that's the case, would you happen to know anyone that might have wished harm upon him?" he asked with some suspicion.

_I have to give him some info without revealing I was here earlier._

"That might be a little difficult. **** was a little bit of a smartass and he had a bad habit of pissing people off at the wrong time. If you happen to have any evidence of who committed this crime, I might be able to come up with some ideas." I replied.

"Would you be willing to come down to that station to answer some questions?" he asked.

"Certainly"

_It's better to go with him now than refuse and arouse his suspicion even more._

I held out my right hand to him and introduced myself.

"My name is Victor Drake by the way." I said.

The badger grasped my hand and gave me a strong grip as we shook hands.

"I am Inspector James Barkley." He replied.

Once introductions were finished, we walked back to the car and I buckled myself into the passenger seat. As we drove down the dirt road, I turned my head to take one more look at the house that would soon become nothing more than a memory. I held my gaze until it disappeared into the distance and I turned forward once more and let out another sigh.

We soon turned onto the main road and I looked out the window and watched as the French countryside rolled by.

"How long will it be until we come into town?" I asked.

Still looking forward, he answered, "We should be in Dèbut in about fifteen minutes."

_Beginning huh…well, it certainly fits the situation. I can't help but feel it's named that because of me._

"Thanks," I said.

"_I need to talk to you."_

_What about?_

"_Why did all of this crap end up happening to me? I was just some regular guy enjoying life so I don't see why I was dragged into this shit." I said with anger._

_My role here is mainly to help guide you along and make sure you stay safe for the duration. Tell me, what was the last thing you remember doing before all of this started?_

"_I remember I was sitting in my room at the computer and I was playing "Slender: The Eight Pages" with David and Keith. It was a Friday night and it was around 8'o clock. The sky was clear that night and there was a full moon out as well I believe. They wanted to use it as a way to frighten me." I said._

_Did anything peculiar happen during your gameplay?_

"_Now that you mention it, I do remember going into the bathrooms and collecting the eighth page. I'm pretty sure that the last one I grabbed was the note that says "follows" on it. After I grabbed the last note, I left the bathrooms and was waiting for something to happen, but the power and the lights in my house cut off. They came back on after a few seconds and my monitor showed the menu screen for the game rather than picking up where I left off. I just assumed that one of my friends did something as a scare tactic." I explained._

_Wait a minute._

"_Are you saying that I only ended up here just because the power in my house went off?" I asked in an unbelieving tone._

_The game was merely the match that lit the fuse or it might be more appropriate to say that the game was simply a piece that made the fuse up._

"_Is there anything else?" I asked hoping to get more answers._

When he spoke up next, his voiced changed drastically. Before, his voice had some depth to it but it carried a friendly, if not a little condescending tone to it. Now, his voice was a deep monotone that reeked with superiority.

_I do apologize for what must seem to you an arbitrary imposition…Mr. Drake. I trust…it will all make sense to you in the course of…well, I'm really not at liberty to say._

"_G-Man?"_

_The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up…Mr. Drake. Wake up and…smell the ashes._

There was suddenly a flash of light and my eyes shot open. I guess I dozed off there for a minute. I quickly remembered that I had been heading towards the town of Beginning and saw that we had arrived.

The town didn't look very large. I would guess around 3000 people though I couldn't be entirely sure. I saw a couple of cafes as we drove along and there were a few people walking about who were getting ready for the day. Most of the houses that I saw were two stories tall and they had some variation. Some had bricks in subtle shades of red while others had painted brick in shades of beige, off white or brown. Overall, the town had a relaxing atmosphere and an old charm.

We came to a stop in front of the local police station and I unbuckled myself and stepped out of the car. The station was a respectable size considering how big the town was. The building was built using alternating bricks of subtle red, light orange and off white. At the front of the building, there were two glass doors and above them was the Interpol symbol. There were also a few other police cars parked out front.

Upon entering that station, I saw a desk in front of me where a mongoose was doing some paper work. Behind him and off to the sides, I could see a series of hallways that I presumed led to the cells, evidence and interrogation and meeting rooms.

Inspector Barkley called my attention and I followed him into an interrogation room in the back. The room looked as you would expect. There was a wooden desk in the center with a wooden chair on both sides. A lamp was sitting atop the table and there was a one-way mirror on the wall.

_I'll need to handle this very carefully._

"_Hey! Can you hear me?"_

_I can hear you just fine and you don't need to yell since I'm always here. What do you need?_

"_From what I understand, the Slender Man is able to mentally influence and even control whoever he wishes to. I also remember you mentioning you made it easier for me to use my new powers earlier than it actually should be. My point is do you think you could give me a little boost and influence this guy without doing any damage?" I asked with a little uncertainty._

_Can't you handle the situation on your own?_

"_I possibly could, but he's already suspicious of me and I need to pass along certain information that will come into play later without ending up being investigated or behind bars. I have too much on my plate to be dealing with Interpol and I don't want anyone in this world getting mixed up with Slender Man." I explained._

_Okay, I'll do it, but just know this'll hit you hard later._

"_Thanks."_

I took a seat and the interrogation began.

"Where were you last night between the hours of seven and twelve?" he asked.

"_Let's see I was unconscious, temporarily paralyzed, went berserk and blacked out again."_

"The other night some of my friends played a prank on me and I wound up in the middle of a field. I then walked back to town and I later took a cab over here after I heard what happened." I replied.

_I find it's easier to tell partial truths than outright lies._

Inspector Barkley seemed to think I was lying at first, but then I felt a twinge of pain in my head and it appeared that he believed me.

"How did you know **** Cooper?" he asked.

"Excuse me."

"We both know who he is so don't try to deny anything. After we retrieved his and his wife's bodies, it didn't take long to find his true identity." He said.

"As I said before, I'm a friend of the family. I met **** a few years back after he successfully pulled off another one of his heists. A personal possession of mine had been taken from me and knowing his expertise I asked **** for his assistance in getting it back." I answered.

There was another twinge of pain as I felt his doubt slip away even more.

"We spoke with his son earlier and he gave us some description of the perpetrators. Seeing how you're apparently familiar with his family, do you think you could identify some of them?" He asked.

"I would be glad to." I responded.

_In the first game, Sly had to steal the files covering the Fiendish Five from Carmelita's office. I guess I'll serve as a partial source for it and throw Interpol a bone, so to speak._

"From the report, we're dealing with a huge bulldog with puny legs and two guns strapped to his back, a gator with a Cajun accent, a frog with a top hat and a firework wielding panda. There was one more culprit, but I think the kid just imagined the last one out of fear." He said.

_Strengthen the influence._

I clenched my teeth and I briefly rubbed my face.

Letting out a snort, I replied, "I've heard of those idiots before and I've run across them a couple times. I don't know where they currently are, but their names are Muggshot, Mz. Ruby, Sir Raleigh and Panda King. I don't know their full or real names, but that is what they go by."

After I gave him their identities, Inspector Barkley appeared to be satisfied and the two of us left the interrogation room.

I followed him as he led me to his office. Once, I stepped inside I saw that I was decently furnished. There was a brown desk with a big leather chair behind it with a lamp on the desk. There was a window, but the blinds were closed so the room was dim. In front of the desk, there were two more leather chairs of a similar quality and there were a few files cabinets against the walls. The room had red carpeting and next to me there was a couch was Sly was sleeping.

_I didn't expect to see him here, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I knew he would be asked for information, but I wasn't sure if he was in the orphanage yet. I have no idea how long it takes to process all this to get that done._

Inspector Barkley reached over and he shook Sly awake. Sly tiredly opened his eyes and he rubbed them to help himself awake. He tilted his head up and he looked at Inspector Barkley first before turning his attention to me.

When he looked at me, I could tell that he was confused as to who I was and why I was here.

"I'm sorry to wake you kid, but do you recognize this man?" He asked.

_I guess the influence isn't strong enough yet._

Sly looked at me once more and I quietly mouthed the words I spoke to him the other night.

"_Things may be tough right now, but I promise you that they will get better in the future."_

His eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face that was full of recognition.

_I'm so glad he can read lips._

"Hey Mr. Isaac!" he said with energy.

"Hey kid." I responded.

I knelt down on my right knee and I gave him another hug in greeting.

"Isaac? I thought your name was Victor." Barkley said.

"My name is Victor. Isaac is a name that some of my friends refer to me by. It's a reference to a story some dude wrote awhile back about a guy who finds himself in an unbelievable situation." I stated.

Inspector Barkley just shook his head and I guessed he was tired of dealing with me.

"Since your story checks out for now, would you be able to take him into your custody?" He asked.

_I wish people would quit asking me that. I'd like to but he has to meet Bentley and Murray and I can't interfere with that. It makes it harder to stay firm on this every time I'm asked and I might actually say yes if asked enough times._

"I'm sorry, but I can't look after him. There is too much going on in my life right now and I would not be able to give him the life he deserves." I replied.

Inspector Barkley let out a sigh.

"Very well, I guess I'll keep an eye on him for now until he can be moved to the "Happy Camper Orphanage." He said.

I looked at Sly and said, "See you buddy."

"Bye Mr. Isaac." He replied.

The Inspector and I stepped out of his office and we walked to the entrance.

*Rumble*

_Crap! I keep forgetting I need to eat something. That was pretty loud._

The Inspector was taken off guard by how loud that was.

"Do you know of any good restaurants in town? I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off lately and I haven't had the time to eat for like two days now." I said.

"Hey!"

I turned and saw an officer standing by a coffee machine with a miffed look on his face who just so happened to be a rooster.

"Sorry. It was a figure of speech." I said.

I turned back to the Inspector and we continued on.

"When you head out of the station, take the road up ahead to the first intersection and make a left. A short ways down, there will be a restaurant on your right. They serve a fine cut of steak." He said.

"Thank you."

Following his directions, I made it to the restaurant in about ten minutes. For being in a small French town, the building was surprisingly Western. The building was constructed using red bricks and black stained wood and the sign above the door read "The Wandering Specter." That name makes this place sound like an English pub more than a French restaurant.

As the name implied, there was a bar to my right with stool and filled with all kinds of booze and beer. The interior walls were covered in a light wood and there were booths and tables scattered around the place.

"Greetings, welcome to "The Wandering Specter." How many people will it be?" The foxy waitress in front of me asked who I somehow didn't notice until just now.

"It'll just be me for today." I replied.

"Very good, right this way sir."

I followed her to a table centered in the middle of the restaurant.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"I'll take a Pepsi." I answered.

"Excellent choice, I'll be back soon with that to take your order," She said before she left.

_It's a good thing you came here when you did. If you had gone another day without eating, you probably would have gone berserk and eaten someone._

"_That's a frightening thought."_

_Yeah, it is. Anyway, when the waitress gets back order the largest thing you can find and order like four of it._

"_I know I've gone awhile without eating, but isn't that a pretty bad idea? I also don't want to be throwing up later." I said in a way where I thought he was crazy._

_I'm serious. As a side effect of your powers, you are going to develop an increased appetite. You're going to burn up a lot of energy training and using your powers, but the amount you use will diminish over time and you will get better at energy control. You'll get to the point where you'll be like Luffy from One Piece in terms of how much you can eat. You can also get different levels of energy from different things._

"_What do you mean?"_

_What I mean is that if you eat regular food you can fill yourself up, but it will take more of it to do the job. If you were to eat/absorb an animal that was still alive, you would gain even more energy depending on its size and if you ate a sentient being you would go for a long time without having to eat anything else._

"_I'm not eating anyone (at least the type you're thinking of) and the thought of eating a live animal disturbs me. Wouldn't I also get sick from doing that?"_

_Along with your main abilities that you have to activate, you'll also have passive ones. You can eat creatures and raw meat without getting sick, you are immune to poison and diseases and eventually you'll get to the point where things such as bullets and bombs can't hurt you. There are some other abilities I haven't listed, but you'll find those out later and one of the best pieces of news is that you won't get fat from your new eating habits._

"_That's good then."_

The waitress showed up at that moment and set my drink down in front of me.

"Are you ready to order sir?" She asked.

"What is the largest thing on your menu?" I asked.

"That would be the 18oz. sirloin steak." She answered.

"Just a heads up, this is going to sound a bit crazy and it'll sound like I'm messing with you, but I need you to bring me four of those sirloin steaks well done." I said still unsure of myself.

The waitress was clearly taken aback by my order.

"Are you sure about that sir?" She carefully asked.

"Yes I'm sure." I replied.

The waitress then left to give the cooks my order and I just continued to sit there.

"_Hey, I know you're not going to tell me why I'm in this situation specifically, but can you at least tell me why I'm in Sly Cooper. I mean I could have ended up somewhere worse and I like it here, but couldn't I have been sent somewhere with other people?" I asked._

_The reason why you're here is because you're more familiar with the Sly Cooper universe than you are with a lot of other places. The being that sent you here felt that considering the powers you'll be learning that this would serve as a better training ground than others. Those powers are going to be very useful when it comes to thieving. _

_Another thing is the lack of humans. Slender Man and his proxies are capable of going to other universes and realities, but he mainly sticks to your home one and he concerns himself entirely with humans so a place where there are none is going to be pretty safe. Slender Man also finds the flesh of humans to be a delicacy and he doesn't really eat other creatures._

After I waited a little while, the waitress came back out and she was followed by a couple of the cooks from the kitchen. With them, they carried all four of my steaks to my table and set them down.

_I'm guessing the cooks came out to see if I was full of crap or not._

I took ahold of the knife and fork that were close at hand and I dug in.

_I wouldn't say I'm a messy eater exactly, but I did finish all four steaks in like ten minutes. What's even better is that I didn't feel sick at all and it was kind of funny seeing the looks on the waitress and chefs faces once I was done._

The waitress shook her head after I had finished to get back into focus and the chefs walked back into the kitchen with a little bit of respect for what I just did.

"Your total comes to $40 even." She said a little awkwardly.

I pushed my hands together and when I pulled them apart a $50 bill appeared. I handed it to her and the look on her face was priceless.

"Have a nice day." I told her with humor in my voice as I stood up and left.

Once outside, I started down the sidewalk and I examined the architecture as I went along.

"_I need to get a house/base of operations. How much was in that vault at Sly's house anyway?"_

_With everything you stole, you now have a balance of around $500,000 dollars._

"_Sweet!"_

I continued walking until the point where the houses were becoming more spaced apart. A little further down the road, I spotted a house with a 'For Sale' sign in front of it.

The house was built using dark gray wood and light gray stone bricks. It was two stories tall and had four windows on the front with two for each floor. The front door was dark red in color and the lawn was neatly cut. The house also had a white trim.

"_Well this looks nice. Now I just have to find a phone."_

_*Bzzzz*_

I reached into my right pocket and I pulled out my iphone in surprise. I honestly thought this thing was broken after what happened in the forest.

_Your phone wasn't broken. It was simply turned off. Try calling the number on the house to buy it._

I put in the phone number and a woman picked up the phone on the other end of the line.

"Hi, I'd like to buy the house on…

_The address is 31 Traveler's Way._

…31 Traveler's Way." I said.

I waited for a few seconds when suddenly the deed to the house and the key appeared in my other hand and the "For Sale" sign disappeared.

"Thank you for your purchase." The woman said and then hung up.

"_You gotta love those video game mechanics."_

_You know have a balance of around $400,000 dollars._

"_That was a pretty good deal then."_

I unlocked the front door and stepped into the house. The first thing I noticed was that the house was completely furnished. The living room was a…you know what, my head's really starting to hurt from earlier so I'll just explain the details of the interior later.

"_I need to get some fricking sleep. Even though I slept earlier, it wasn't for very long and my headache is back with a vengeance."_

I made my way upstairs to the master bedroom and I threw myself onto the bed which was pretty comfortable. I felt myself turn back to normal as I close my eyes and I was soon out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4: Housewarming

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 4: Housewarming

I slowly opened my eyes and I pushed myself up to where my legs were hanging off the side of the bed.

"_That has got to be one of the best naps I've had in a long time."_

Man I felt great. My headache completely disappeared, I wasn't starving and I was no longer fatigued.

_Enjoy that while it lasts._

I looked over at the nearby window where I saw light pouring into the room. I walked over to it and looked outside. Judging by the position of the sun, it was probably around 10AM in the morning.

"_How long was I out for?"_

_You slept for a whole day._

"_Damn, I know I was tired, but I didn't think I'd sleep that long. The longest I've ever slept before would probably be about 10 hours." I said with some surprise._

_Considering current events, it isn't that surprising and it'll most likely happen again in the future so don't stress over it. We've got a lot of work ahead of us and there are some supplies we'll need to get today for it._

"_All right."_

_I would also get some new clothes if I were you since you've been wearing those ones for 3 days now._

"_Can't I just change my clothes like I did before when I turned into a wolf?" I inquired._

_Just because you altered your clothes, doesn't mean that they'll suddenly become clean. If your shirt gets dirty and you change its appearance, it'll still be dirty._

"_Well that sucks. I thought that I wasn't going to have to do laundry ever again." I said with some disappointment. _

_Life isn't fair, which is even truer in your case. Speaking of clothes, you need to take a shower before we do anything else. You're starting to stink._

"_Gee, thanks."_

"_No problem." He said in a cheeky manner._

I quickly took a 15 minute shower (_thankfully there was some body wash and shampoo in there already_) and I threw my old clothes back on which made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"_I just thought of something. How are we going to get everything back here without a car or something to transport it? At first I thought the items would just disappear like what happened back at Sly's house, but if people saw stuff just vanishing into thin air then they might freak out." I said with some concern._

"_You could always tell them you're a magician or an illusionist." He remarked lightheartedly._

"_Can you be serious for a moment?" I asked with slight irritation._

"_I actually am being serious, even if I don't seem like it, and I think that you could sell it. I mean just look around, there are all kinds of strange things going on. There are anthros walking around, Sly's parents were killed by a giant metal bird that's been alive for hundreds of years, there's a turtle and a hippo that can't swim and later they'll learn how to time travel. It's not that much of a stretch to say that you could fool the populace by saying you're a magician." He said._

"_You've got a point there. Also, now that you mention it, I should probably make a note of teaching the gang how to swim. I could maybe forgive Sly for not knowing since he's a raccoon and they don't go near water that often, but Bentley and Murray should have been born knowing that already." I said with some disbelief._

I walked down the stairs and I was about to head out the door when I was reminded of something.

_As much as I'd love to scare the town, don't you think you're forgetting something?_

"_Oh right."_

I stopped and began to concentrate on my alternate form. Within a few minutes, I successfully transformed and was now a 6'5" gray wolf again.

"_I guess I haven't woken up completely yet." I said a little apologetically._

_Just try to remember in the future, I might not always remind you. You are going to practice with that when we get back by the way except it will be without my assistance._

I left the house, making sure to lock the door behind me, and I started walking down the street.

"_What's on our shopping list?" I asked._

_For right now, we need to get these things:_

_-Food_

_-Clothing_

_-Mirrors and Candles_

_-Computer and Desk_

_Anything else we might need we can just obtain via computer._

"_This town is an all right size, but do you really think we're going to find a computer around here?" I asked._

_We might and it can't hurt to look._

"_You know, it would make things a lot easier if there was a greater sense of time around here. In the games, a date was never established aside from what hour it was or how many years had passed from some specific point. This whole world is a mixture of old and new." I said._

_I suppose it would help._

I walked around town for 30 minutes before I found the local market.

_You should have asked for directions._

"_I wasn't that lost and I eventually found it. I also need to familiarize myself with the town more so it worked out in the end." I replied._

_Keep telling yourself that._

It was an open-air market and it was located on a side street about a 10 minute walk from my house between two rows of buildings. The market was bigger than I thought it would be as it spanned the entire length of the street which gave me the impression that maybe more than just this town's people came here to buy things. There were all kinds of vendors. Some of them sold fruits and vegetables while others sold meat and other animal products such as milk and eggs. There was also a wide assortment of jams and cheeses along with other neat little things you would never think about seeing.

"_I enjoy things like this more than simply going to the grocery store. The food and ingredients are fresher. The people you deal with are a lot friendlier and more sociable than the ones in the stores that seem like their asleep. You also get fresh air and being out in places like this just makes life feel simpler." I said in happiness._

_I didn't think you would get this worked up about a farmer's market._

"_The farmer's market is only a part of it. Before I wound up in the forest and got transported here, I lived out in the suburbs of a town around 50,000 people, but there was a much larger city nearby with a population of at least 700,000 that I could enter within 15 minutes of leaving my home." I said._

"_As you can imagine, I would end up traveling through the city a lot, but I would never drive through it for enjoyment, just necessity. I found the city to be ugly on a large scale due to both the physical aspect and the people who just came off as unfriendly all the time." I continued._

"_This town of Beginning that we're now in is so much cleaner than where I used to live and there is more space out here. It's not hectic and people are friendlier and more familiar with one another. Aside from the Slender Man, I don't really have any other worries or problems like I did back home and I can finally catch a breath of fresh air. This town is also beautiful and I love its old charm." I finished._

"_I guess this must be why you're treating this whole situation better than you should be. Are you worried at all about your friends and family?" He asked._

"_I am a little bit, but they were doing just fine the last time I checked and if they are as I last saw them then they're all in good health and still alive." I replied._

"_Do you want to know something funny? Before I wound up in this mess, I actually wished I could just disappear because of the crap I put up with back home. By that, I don't mean that I wished to die, but rather that I would end up somewhere where life was easier and I couldn't be found. It looks like I got my wish huh?" I asked letting out a breath of air._

"_Let's start shopping." I said before he could say anything._

I grabbed a few bags that were stacked nearby for customers and I started walking up and down the market looking at all of the different stands and what they had to offer.

By the time I was done, I had been there for two hours and I had quite the bit of goodies. I had a bag full of several cuts of beef and some poultry along with milk, eggs and butter. I also bought some bread among plenty of other things and it was funny watching that rabbit's face when I made the bread disappear. I thought he had crapped his pants for a moment. I just told him and anyone else who saw that it was a really neat trick and they fell for it.

Before I left, I asked someone if there was a clothing store nearby. After they pointed me in the right direction, I made my groceries vanish for the time being and I made my way down the road.

Five minutes later, I found myself standing in front of the clothing store. The building was constructed using dark brown wood and red brick. The entrance into the building was a dark red wooden door and there was a lamp post attached right next to it. On both sides of the door, there was a glass window and they featured a unique style of clothing that was a bit different than what I was wearing. The sign above the door said, "The Hidden Wardrobe."

"_I feel like I'm about to step into Narnia."_

The inside of the store had both an old and new feeling to it just like so many other things around here did, but it differentiated in that it had a folkloric atmosphere to it. The walls were a forest green in color like my eyes, but the color seemed to shift the longer I stared at it. The floors were made using some type of medium brown wood. Even though light was pouring into the store, it still seemed to be a little dim in here.

I started perusing the clothing located throughout the store and it didn't take me long to find something nice. I ended up buying six pairs of pants of black, brown and blue to wear around the house or town along with a couple pairs to wear on special occasions. I purchased multiple shirts of varying colors and designs along with several pairs of socks and undies. I also found a black fedora with a dark gray band around it along with a black jacket.

As I was about to check out, something caught my eye. I turned my head to the right and in the back, behind a series of coats, I saw a black suit with a white undershirt and black tie hanging on the wall.

I pushed my way through the coats and I started examining the suit. Now, I'm not a professional on clothing, but this seemed to be of a very high quality. On the floor, there was also a pair of black dress shoes that accompanied the suit.

_This suit is coming home with me._

I pulled it off the wall and I made my way to the front counter. When I got there, I didn't see anyone, but there was a silver desk bell on top of it. I rang the bell and I waited for a minute, but no one showed up. I reached for the bell again when I suddenly heard a noise above me.

I looked up, but I couldn't see anything as the area above was too dark to see through. I then heard a light flapping of wings and I looked back towards the counter where I saw a bat landing.

"_That's certainly an interesting way to greet customers." The voice said._

The bat in front of me was clearly female. Her body was a solid reddish-brown color and the inside of her ears and wings was a light brown. She had a black nose and red eyes and the hair on top of her head was black and a little unkempt. She was wearing a black sleeveless and a pair of blue jeans along with a black belt, but nothing else.

"_She's got a nice figure." _

_Wait a minute…_

"_I hope being in my wolf form doesn't affect anything else aside from my strength and senses." I thought with a little worry._

"Did you find everything you needed?" She asked.

"I believe so. By the way, that's a pretty neat method of greeting customers." I said.

"I like to keep things interesting." She replied.

She then scanned all of my clothes and rang me up.

"Your total comes out to $233." She said.

Once she told me that, I put my hands together and I pulled them apart letting two $100 bills and one $50 bill float onto the counter. She seemed a little surprised by this, but nowhere near as much as everyone else.

"You don't seem that surprised by this." I said.

"I like to keep an open-mind and I've seen a lot of strange things in life. I also heard about you at "The Wandering Specter" from one of the waitresses." She told me.

"I hope it was all good things." I replied.

"The waitress told me that some wolf came in the other day, ate 72 oz. worth of steak and paid for his meal using magic." She said.

"I don't know how I should feel about being recognized for that. I was hoping it was my good looks that gave me away." I said in a joking manner.

"Perhaps the waitress was just too surprised by your trick to notice them." She replied in a playful manner.

"Yeah maybe. I'm Victor by the way." I introduced myself with an outreached hand.

"I'm Sylvia." She introduced while briefly shaking my hand.

She put the money away in the register and gave me my change.

"Is there anywhere around here that sells computers?" I inquired.

"No. You would have to go to a bigger city like Paris to find something like that. This town is small so there isn't much of a market around here for it." She explained.

"_I didn't think there would be."_

_Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It didn't hurt to try. I think we should head back home for now._

"_What about the mirrors and candles?" I asked._

_We can look later. There's something else that just came up. You'll find out what it is when we get back._

"_All right."_

I gathered all of my bags and I walked out the door after having said goodbye to Sylvia.

When I got home, I saw a box sitting in front of my front door and it wasn't marked. I stopped and I just stared at it while recalling a story I heard in the past.

"_I've heard of this before."_

_Heard about what?_

"_It was a while back that I heard a story about unmarked boxes being left in front of houses and when they're opened they explode sending out shrapnel in every direction." I answered with a little nervousness._

"_Well, you can only die once right?" He asked lacking any seriousness._

I took my hand and I dragged it down my face in irritation.

"_If it bothers you that much then pick up the box and bring it inside. From there, you can set the box down and open it from a distance using your tendrils while you hide behind some furniture to keep yourself safe." He advised._

With extreme caution, I opened the front door and I brought the box inside. I set the box down in the center of the living room while I hid behind the couch. I turned back to my human form and with a bit of pain and assistance, I summoned my tendrils and slowly moved them towards the package. The end of one of my tendrils suddenly became sharp which I didn't expect, but before I could say anything the voice spoke.

"_Later on when you gain better control of them, you'll find you can do a number of things with your tendrils then just summoning or walking with them. In terms of combat, you'll eventually learn to shape them a little bit and use them to your advantage. For example, you can point the end of a tendril and use it to impale things." He explained._

I cut the tape on the box and I slowly opened it up expecting something to happen.

_Kaboom!_

"Aaahhh!" I yelled as I jumped.

"_You're an asshole." I told him angrily._

"_I'm sorry, but that was too good of an opportunity to pass up." He said while laughing._

Seeing it wasn't going to explode, I walked over to it and when I looked inside I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Inside the box, there was an assortment of goodies. There were different types of packaged meats, jellies and cheeses along with a few other things. This caused the voice to laugh even harder.

_You got scared over cheese. My gosh that's hilarious._

"_Okay, I'll admit that is a little funny." I admitted._

I brought the box into the kitchen and I started taking everything out. As the box was almost empty, I saw a smaller box underneath a block of cheese. I pulled it out and set it aside as I finished putting all of my goodies and groceries from earlier away.

I picked up the box and I walked upstairs to my bedroom where I received yet another surprise. In front of my bed, there was a ring made up of full body mirrors and there were a bunch of candles sitting on my bed.

Next to the wall, there was a desk with a computer on it and a chair for me to sit in. Next to the monitor, there was a black device.

"_Holy crap! That's a Binocucom." I said with excitement._

I walked over and picked it up to examine it. The binocucom was completely black except for the lens on the front which was blue. It also had a microphone attached to the side for me to speak to others through and it had a camera function to take pictures as well just like Sly's eventually would. I turned it on and looked through it. At the top of the screen, there was a gray symbol of a wolf at the top which I thought was pretty cool.

I opened up the small box I found earlier and inside of it was a USB drive. I turned on the computer and waited for it to start up. Once that was taken care of, I put the USB drive into a slot in the tower and a file screen popped up with a video titled "HOUSEWARMING" as the only option. I clicked on the file and the video started.

There was a black screen and white letters appeared.

"Hello Isaac."

The video shifted to me standing in front of my house.

"I can see your settling in well."

The video changed again to show a box like the one I received and then a building blowing up.

"You were right to be cautious."

The screen changed again to a solid back and as the words appeared so did a bunch of eyes.

"Keep your eyes open. They are searching for you. ALWAYS."

The video switched to an alleyway.

"You're not alone."

Some type of liquid started flowing down the wall of the alley.

"We're watching your every step."

The liquid formed two words.

"BE PREPARED."

It switched back to the front of my house.

"They will find you."

The screen switched again and the screen became a solid white.

"It will mark the beginning of the end."

"But for who?"

The screen then showed a figure wearing a gas mask which concealed their entire face. A name appeared above the figure.

_Bomber_

"Let's the games begin."

"Enjoy the gifts."

The video came to an end and I was left breathing a little nervously and a bit overwhelmed.

"Well…shit."

I sat there for a while so I could let all of this sink in.

"_Man this situation is crazy."_

_I know that this will be a tough burden to bear, but you must do it. If you don't then things are going to get a whole lot worse._

"_You can't tell me what's going to happen can you?" I asked with a little doubt._

"_That can't be revealed at this time, but just know that you should prepare for unforeseen consequences." He said in his G-Man voice at the end._

"_We should start training." He said simply._

"_Is it all right if I do something really quickly?" I asked _

_Yes, what is it?_

"_This."_

I bolted to the bathroom and I emptied my stomach into the toilet.

_I guess everything finally caught up to him._


	5. Chapter 5: First Heist

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 5: First Heist

6 months…

A total of 6 months has passed since I arrived in this universe. A total of 6 months since I saw the video and subsequently emptied my stomach and 6 months since I officially began my training.

In that time, a number of different things have happened.

About a week after I received the "HOUSEWARMING" video, I found an envelope in my mailbox with a fake ID inside of it for my alternate form. I was a bit unnerved as to how they got my picture as they would have to have been pretty close to take it and I don't remember seeing any cameras. Although, they did manage to get into my house without leaving any clues that anyone had ever entered. There had been no shoe prints, everything was in order and both the front and back door were locked when I got home that day.

I guess that explains why I wasn't detained or more heavily questioned when I was at the police station with Inspector Barkley. I would've thought that a background check would have been done on me if I was brought in as a suspect in a murder case, but it seems like information had already been put in the system for me. I'm just glad I didn't get my ass deported though I don't know where they would've sent me.

I suppose I owe my mysterious benefactors thanks for that.

Overtime, I became recognizable to most of the townspeople through my trips to the market and from my dining at "The Wandering Specter." Due to my actions, I have gained a few nicknames. At "The Wandering Specter," I have become known as "The Bottomless Pit" on account of my newfound eating habits while in the rest of town I'm called either "Magic Man" or "The Illusionist" on account of my abilities.

I also gained a couple more friends during this time. I got to know the bartender at "The Specter" when I discovered that the legal drinking age over here is 18. Now, I'm not an alcoholic nor do I look for excuses to drink, but I do like to have a little bit every once in a while.

The bartender was a European red fox and it turns out he was the older brother of the waitress I shocked a while back who I also became more familiar with.

Their names were Arthur and Felicia Cloud. He was 20 and around 6'2" while she was 18 and an even 6 feet.

Arthur wore a medium gray vest with a white, long sleeved, collared button-down shirt underneath it. He also wore a black tie as a part of his attire along with a pair of black dress pants and fine black shoes.

Even though they're called red foxes, their fur looks more orange to me. Arthur had orange fur with white fur around his mouth and going down the front of his neck. His ears were black and the inner part was the same pure white as his neck. Underneath his elbows, his fur was black and it traveled down the rest of his arms and covered his hands. The tip of his tail was white and he had brown eyes. He was of an average build.

She, on the other hand, had completely white fur and had the most enchanting glacier blue eyes I had ever seen. She was pretty well-developed as well.

I guess their parents weren't the same type of fox.

She wore pretty much the same attire as her older brother except that instead of a gray vest, her vest was black instead.

When I started making friends here, I did initially think about the danger that I could possibly be dragging them into by hanging around them, but then I thought "screw it." Someone was bound to get closer to me sooner or later whether I wanted them to or not so I just continued onwards. I just need to make sure I'm ready for whatever crap comes my way.

It turns out that Sylvia was friends with the two of them so I hung out with her a bit as well and we became a pretty tight-knit group.

I also checked up on Sly a few weeks in and I saw that he had successfully met and befriended Bentley and Murray. I was a little worried about that as Sly wasn't supposed to have been found by The Fiendish Five at his parents' house and I wondered what else might have changed in canon.

Using the computer, I purchased a number of cameras and with some assistance I planted them around different spots within and outside the "Happy Campers Orphanage." I had computer screens set up within one of my spare rooms so that I could keep an eye on them and so that I would be alerted if anything happened.

"The Happy Camper Orphanage" was a three-story building with a red roof and a chimney. It was a wooden structure that was painted a dark gray and it had a white portico. It was located on top of a small hill and there was a dirt path leading to the porch that was lined by some bushes and a couple of trees from the road. There was also a wooden sign by the front of the path that looked like it had seen better days.

This place was a piece-a-crapper. The yard was a mess, the building was falling apart in different spots and the kids there weren't getting the supplies they needed. Seeing the state of this place, I made it an objective to fix it up once I got ahold of some more money.

Speaking of money, I bet you're wondering how my training has been coming along. In these past 6 months, without any assistance, I have become able to summon 8 tendrils which I can use to walk and grab things with. I ended up breaking a few jars due to grabbing them too hard, but I overcame that and I've progressed from walking to running with minor difficulty.

My ability to camouflage has gotten better as well as it now only takes me 5 minutes to change whereas before it took me half an hour. The training just consisted of me changing back and forth continuously which got annoying after a while.

The voice started training me in a third ability after I started to get the hang of those two. He said the closest thing I could link to it would be "_**Pyrokinesis**_," but that that wasn't quite right. I just accepted this as it looked like it would just go over my head.

I received a silver lighter in the mail with my wolf symbol on it to help with my training. The voice informed me that the lighter would never run out of fuel so I could practice as long as I wanted.

The ability to control fire was the same as my other forms of training. It was all linked to how strong my will was and mental control.

I had shut all of the blinds to make sure no one could look inside and I set the candles up on the tile floor of the kitchen. Following the voice's advice, I took slow, deep breaths and I imagined myself breathing out a small flame. The first time I tried this, I burnt both of my eyebrows off.

It's a good thing I can camouflage to hide this.

Once I put in enough practice, I became able to light all of the candles with ease and I can shoot a small fireball out up to ten feet away from me.

The voice told me once I got better at those three things then I would move onto "_**Impersonation**_."

He informed me that sometime soon I would begin my first heist. I asked him about when it would be but he didn't give me a clear answer. He just said that I would find out eventually which probably meant right when it happens knowing him.

===The Present===

I've been sitting at the computer for hours listening to different audio files. The voice said that along with taking on another person's appearance, I would also learn to perfectly copy their voices and all of their little habits.

"How much longer do I need to do this for?" I asked in annoyance as I felt my headache coming back.

"_I guess you can stop for now." He said, "It might be good to take a breather anyway." He admitted seeing as how tired I was getting. Aside from impersonation, he also had me study different voices and accents so I could create my own identities if I ever needed them._

I stood up and I walked to the bathroom where I took a few pills to help the pain go away. They helped a little bit but due to the nature of my headache it didn't go away completely.

As I walked out of the bathroom, I immediately noticed that something was wrong or rather should I say a few things.

I was now standing on the roof of a building in what was obviously Paris, I was in my regular form and I was positive this was my first heist.

"_You would be correct on that account," He said sensing my comprehension of the situation. I knew he was going to pull some crap like this, but that doesn't mean I'm any less angry about it._

"Look, I knew I was going to have to do this eventually, but couldn't I have gotten some more practice in first?" I asked in annoyance. I honestly think it would have been better if I had waited until I was able to impersonate others or at the very least be able to disrupt electronic devices. It sure would make getting through security systems a lot easier.

"_I believe you are ready," he said in a confident tone. "Think of this as a field test. Now, check your Binocucom."_

I pulled it out and through it I saw my wolf symbol above a building a short distance away.

"_Your objective will be to infiltrate the Lestrange Museum of History and steal the Eye of Rubora." He informed. Well, I can clearly see I'm not getting out of this so I might as well bite the bullet. There's one more thing that bothers me though._

"Quick question: Why am I in my human form?" I asked. If I get caught, I'd rather it be as a wolf than a human. As a wolf, I'd just go to jail, but as a human I don't even want to think about what would happen.

"_Your wolf form is mainly to keep up appearances. You shouldn't become too dependent on it," he said, but then added in a voice laced with dark humor, "This will also give you more incentive to stay on your toes and stay hidden. If they catch you well…I'm sure they'll have fun seeing what makes you tick."_

I tried to transform into my other form, but I started to feel light-headed and stopped.

_I could practically feel him shaking his head at me. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you. The only two abilities you'll have are your tendrils and fire," he said answering my eventual question. "You need to get used to tense situations like this where you place everything on the table if you want a shot at surviving."_

Instead of replying, I just summoned my tendrils and I walk to the edge of the roof. I looked at the gap in between the buildings and in the process I stupidly looked down.

"Man I hate heights." I said with nervousness. Ever since I was little, I've been afraid of heights. When I was like three or four years old, I had a dream where I died by falling from high up and I've never forgotten it. I don't know why I would have a dream like that at such a young age, but I think it's where my phobia came from.

Taking a deep breath, I walked backwards and then I started forwards and took a running leap from the edge.

I was about halfway across when I realized I was starting to fall. Everything suddenly grinded to a halt and I thought I was going to die when I felt a burning sensation in the bottom of my feet.

I don't know how I knew to do this, but I kicked out my left foot and was propelled higher until I landed at the other end of the gap. Thankfully my tendrils stuck themselves into the roof so I didn't fall flat on my face in the process.

"Thank God I'm alive," I said in gratitude. This quickly turned to anger as I was pissed at the voice for not informing me I could double jump. "Why the hell didn't you tell me about this?"

"_I don't know everything all right. I'm not God," he said in annoyance. "I thought that you could, but I wasn't entirely sure. I believe in learning under pressure anyway."_

Deciding to let it go, I continued jumping onwards from rooftop to rooftop until I was standing on the roof of the museum.

_The voice then decided to chime in. "Just a tip, your tendrils can be used for more than just walking and grabbing things," he said. I guess he might be making up for earlier, but I can never tell for sure with him. "Try to keep that in mind."_

I noticed a door nearby and found that it was locked. I took one of my tendrils and I moved it into the lock. When I turned it, I heard a click and I opened the door.

In the first room, I saw some type of security device on the floor. It divided the floor into two halves and five beams of energy hovered over one of them. I kept watching and I noticed that about every 5 seconds the floor changed from one half to the other and back again.

I recalled seeing this trap in _Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus _in _Sunset Snake Eyes_ when you went after Muggshot. On the other side, I could see a red and yellow device with horns on it that I remembered would go off if I touched one of the beams.

I waited for the beams to change and I ran down the hallway. When I noticed the lights blinking, I quickly jumped to the other side as they changed.

Once I reached the end, I was standing next to the alarm when I got an idea.

I retracted one of the tendrils into my back and I made it appear in the palm of my hand. I pulled my right hand back and I pushed it towards the alarm palm open. The tendril shot forwards like a bullet and impaled the alarm which effectively broke it.

"_That was pretty awesome." I thought with joy._

I saw a flight of stairs ahead of me and I took them down to the next level.

On this level, there was some type of energy field covering the entire floor and it didn't blink at all. I look around and there was a railing of some sort which led up to the ceiling and over to a platform in the middle of the room.

"_This place feels like a tutorial level," I thought in an amused tone. At least it's a chance to test out my abilities in the field before I end up in some heavy shit later on._

As I approached the railing, I noticed little blue lights covering it that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

_I've come to accept a lot of things while here, but this caught me off guard. "I thought you had to be a Cooper, or at the very least a raccoon, to be able to see these lights or thieving opportunities." I said finding myself puzzled on this._

"_My advice is to just go with the flow," he said. He sounded as if I shouldn't have been caught off guard by this. It's not my fault if I'm curious. I've only been here for 6 months and I'm still not used to everything._

I grabbed the railing and I pulled myself along it at a decent pace until I was situated above the platform. I looked ahead and instead of another railing, there were now hooks hanging from the ceiling. Thinking back, I remembered Sly swinging by using his cane which inspired another idea.

I retracted another tendril like before except this one appeared in the palm of my left hand. I shot out my right hand and the tendril wrapped around the hook. I jumped off the platform and as I swung I shot out my left hand and it wrapped around the next hook.

I continued to do this until I was safely at the other end of the room.

I took yet another flight of stairs downwards and on this level I saw some guards walking around which put me on high alert.

"_Do you see the flashlights they're carrying?" he asked. I looked at them and I saw well-defined areas of light coming from them. "It'll be just like in the games. Just make sure not to step into the lights and you should be fine."_

I carefully maneuvered around them and I looked around until I came to a locked door. I think I know what's coming next.

_The voice could tell what I was thinking. "You are now going to learn how to pickpocket." He said. I'm actually excited about this part. Aside from making money, there is also a certain thrill to it. "Just sneak up behind them and use your tendrils to grab their possessions. The tendril will split in two at the end to act as a claw of sorts."_

Following his advice, I stepped behind the first guard and I could see a golden glow coming from his back pocket. I didn't find a key on him and was going to move to another guard when the voice stopped me.

"_I want you to take out that guard," he said in a serious manner._

_I was a bit shocked by what he just told me. "I may be turning into a thief, but I'm not a murderer." I told him in an equally, if not more, serious tone._

_He just laughed at me when I said that. "You're not going to kill them you idiot," he said. "You're just going to knock them out." This guy has way too much fun messing with me._

I snuck up behind the same guard again and I changed my tendril to where it was blunt at the end. _I don't want to pierce his skull._ I shot it forward at a slower speed and he fell forward and vanished into thin air.

_Concerned, I asked, "Why did he go?" I know that when you defeat an enemy they disappear and come back later, but I can't be too sure here._

"_Relax," he told me. "He just got sent somewhere where he's not in the way in his unconscious state." Well that's a bit of a relief._

With that load off my mind, I went around and I took out and looted the rest of the guards. I took the key and I unlocked the door and continued onwards.

I was now in the main part of the museum with all of the exhibits. The only problem was the lasers surrounding them.

"_You are now going to learn how a new ability I like to call "__**Disruption**__." He told me. He sounded a little excited about this one and I couldn't help but feel the same. "__**Disruption**__" is similar to "__**Distortion**__" except that one affects audio and video equipment while the other affects all other devices and equipment." That ought to come in handy._

_While that sounded cool, I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to play Bentley's hacking game. "So, how do I go about learning it?" I asked._

My symbol suddenly appeared over a box on the wall with an arrow pointing to it.

"_Go over to the box and put your hand on it." He said._

I walked over to it and the moment I laid my hand on it I could feel electricity shooting up the length of my arm.

"_I may have forgotten to mention that you'll feel a little shock in the process." He remarked. If he had a face, he would be smiling right now._

"Yoouuu Motheeerrr Fuckeeerrr." I said in a shaky voice. It's hard to speak properly when you are being electrocuted.

I soon felt a resistance being formed as if a wall had been placed in front of me. I pushed against it and I could feel the electricity leaving my body and going back into the security box. It was eventually pushed far enough back to where the box malfunctioned and the lasers disappeared.

I fell on my ass and I sat there for a moment to catch myself. If that bastard had a face, I'd punch him.

I stood up and made my way to the "Eye of Rubora." The eye was a large blue jewel and if you stared at it, it looked as if you were staring into the ocean.

I opened up the case and I swiped it along with a few other pieces including a vase that was over a millennia old, an ancient sword and an old painting that was viewed as a masterpiece.

_There is no way I was only going to steal the eye after the crap I just went through._

I double backed and as I made my way to the roof, I heard police sirens.

"_You've got to be shitting me." I thought in a panic._

"_What the hell happened?" I asked in rage. I was so sure I did everything correctly and I didn't see any cameras anywhere so I don't know how I could've alerted anyone._

_The voice replied in a completely calm voice. "One of your benefactors may have tipped off the police a short time ago." He informed. In that moment, I had gone from pissed to livid. This whole situation was too insane and I couldn't see any reasoning behind getting me captured._

"_Why the hell would they do that for?" I asked._

_He replied in that annoyingly calm voice again. "I don't rightly know. Maybe you should go ask them." He said. "But you have to get away first."_

I ran towards the roof, but I stopped when I heard helicopter blades coming from the roof along with a couple of voices.

I turned around again and tried to find an alternate escape route when I saw the police at the front door trying to get in.

In my panicked state, I unlocked and hid in one of the side offices. I locked the door and I barricaded it before I dove underneath the desk at the back of the room.

Within the next few minutes, I could hear multiple voices and the stomping of feet. I could also see lights through the crack at the bottom of the door.

I suddenly heard the doorknob turning and I could see them trying to get in. I could feel myself getting dizzy and my vision was starting to blur as they were banging on the door trying to push it open. My mind felt like it was about to snap.

Just before it opened, everything stopped and my vision became a whole lot clearer. It was like seeing color for the first time. Unlike last time when this happened at Sly's house, I was now completely aware of what was going on. I could see the walls of the room along with everything else move as if they were alive and a strange calmness came over me as if I didn't have a care in the world.

As if going for a walk, I calmly stepped forwards and I found myself standing in my bedroom.

_In the calmest voice I've ever had, I asked, "I know there was a reason behind setting me up. Can you perhaps tell me what it was?"_

"_You already have your answer." He said. It seemed he was pleased with himself. "The point of this exercise, besides you getting a better feel for your powers, was to get some experience and jump start two of the harder abilities to learn. We need you to be ready in time."_

"_Are you going to set me up again?" I asked once again in a calm yet foreboding tone._

_The voice simply replied, "There will be other exercises, but there won't be a need to do this again." I guess my benefactors are satisfied with tonight's results._

I slowly walked over to my bed and as I was standing next to it, I exited my calm state and passed out on it. I was asleep before I hit the bed.

**Isaac's Powers**

Tendrils

-Walking, Grabbing, Swinging, Climbing

-Lock picking, Stealing

-Shaping, Shooting, Extending

Camouflage

-Wolf Form

-5 minute change rate

-Gains temporary abilities as long as in that form

Fire

-Pyrokinesis

-Can shoot fireballs up to 10 feet away

Disruption

-Cause machines to malfunction

-Can't fully use it yet

Slender Walking

-Teleporting

-Can't fully use it yet

Others

-Double Jump

-Thief Vision

-Pocket Dimension (sort of)


	6. Chapter 6: The List

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac.

Chapter 6: The List

The next morning, I found that I was feeling pretty good despite what happened the other night. I was still a bit angry about it, but at least I got away with it which actually made me feel a little proud of myself.

The Lestrange Museum of History had been one of the smaller and less secure museums in France and I'm a bit surprised I was able to pull it off with only 6 months of training.

I got out of bed and I checked the time on the wall clock to see it was around 9 in the morning. I took a quick shower and I pulled on a pair of blue jeans along with a blue striped shirt and my gray tennis shoes.

I stood there for a moment and I calmly took a deep breath. Turning towards the wall, I just stood there and stared at it for a brief moment. I slowly stepped forward with my left foot and I pictured myself appearing in my living room. With amazing speed, I dashed towards the wall and I was sure I could pull it off.

That was until I slammed into the wall and promptly fell on my ass.

I reached up and I rubbed my head where I hoped a bruise wasn't forming. My nose wasn't broken and everything else seemed fine aside from slight embarrassment.

I was so sure I could have pulled that off.

_I could hear the voice let out a small laugh. "It's not going to be that simple." He said. "What happened last night was a result of stress, desperation and anger."_

"_Will getting angry help?" I asked. I really don't want to be angry to pull it off, but I really want to gain control over it._

"_That won't work." He replied. While this guy is an ass, I'm glad to have him around for stuff like this. I would be completely lost trying to figure out things for myself. "For one thing, the anger has to be genuine and you would have to be forced into a corner again to access that state. Now that you've gained a feeling for it, we can start building it up and you'll eventually reach the point where it's as simple as breathing without the need to be angry._

_My anger quickly faded and was replaced by excitement. "Are we going to start training today?" I asked._

"_We'll hold off on that for a few weeks." He said. His voice then took on some humor as if he was laughing at me again. "By the way, you might want to get your hands on the newspaper. I think you'll be in for a surprise."_

I turned into my wolf form and I made my way to the front door. Making sure it was locked, I started walking towards the nearby café. I got there in about 5 minutes.

The café was a small building made from the regular reddish brown brick. There was a seating area in front of it that had cobblestone flooring. There were a few tables for if people wanted to drink outside. Over the door, there was a green awning and the name of the place was printed on it which read "Sunrise Café."

I walked in and the interior was very welcoming. The floor was made of a pattern of beige and coffee brown tiles. There were about 6 red tables sitting around the place and the walls were rich shade of red.

I was never much of a coffee drinker so I got a vanilla bean frappuccino. I picked up a copy of the paper from a nearby stack and was about to leave when someone called my name. I turned my head and I saw Felicia sitting at one of the tables with what I guessed was a latte. I walked over and took a seat.

"Hello Felicia. How are you doing this morning?" I asked in a friendly manner. After I became more familiar with her, I slightly regretted having shocked her when I first got here. She was a very sweet girl.

"I'm doing fine. How are you Victor?" She inquired. Now, I'm not in love or anything, but I do find it easier to talk to her than Arthur or Sylvia about life in general. Not that I can't talk to the others, it's just that Sylvia has a more playful personality while Arthur acts a little bit more mature and refined. He's not arrogant though.

"I'm doing all right. I'm still trying to wake up a little." I replied. Though I succeeded, I was still feeling wiped from last night.

Felicia then asked me a question that caught me completely off guard. "What are you doing for Christmas this year?"

I had just taken a sip of my drink and I nearly choked on it when she asked me that. After I gulped it down, I looked back at her with surprise. "Excuse me?" I said.

"I asked you if you had any plans for Christmas." She repeated in a happy tone.

I took a look at this morning's paper and I saw that it was the tenth of December. With everything that's been going on, I completely lost track of time. The days seemed as if they just blurred together.

I felt a little embarrassed that I almost missed Christmas. "I only just now realized how close it was to Christmas." I replied while rubbing the back of my head.

In a comforting voice, she said, "That's okay. I'm sure you'll think of something." Yet another reason why she's easier to talk to is that she doesn't really judge. "You still have another 15 days."

"_Didn't you plan on fixing up the Happy Camper Orphanage?" He asked. I had forgotten about that as well. "After last night, you should easily have enough money to do that and get gifts for the kids."_

"_Fixing up the place will have to wait until after New Year's Day." I replied. With it being this close to Christmas, I don't think I could get anyone to come out anyway. "But I will get them some presents. Thanks for the reminder."_

"_That's what I'm here for." He replied._

Catching her attention, I looked back at her and said, "Now that I think about it, I was planning on getting some gifts for the kids at the town orphanage." I just remembered I don't know what to get for them. "The only problem is I don't know what they'd want."

She clearly thought that was a great idea. "I think that's a wonderful idea." She said with enthusiasm. Felicia thought for a moment and then suggested, "Maybe you could go over there and take a look around to see what they need."

"I think that's a great idea." I replied. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"You're welcome."

We talked for a few more minutes as we drank our drinks and I bid her goodbye as I left the café with the newspaper under my arm.

I caused the paper to vanish and I made my way over to the orphanage.

On my walk over, I noticed that it was a tad chillier than usual this morning, but having fur can really help out in these situations.

I eventually saw the sign and I walked up path to the front door. This place looks even worse up close. I can only imagine how terrible it must look inside. I reached up and I knocked on the door.

I waited for about a minute before the door opened to reveal Sly standing there.

He sure looked happy to see me. "Hey Mr. Isaac!" he practically shouted.

"Hey buddy. How have you been?" I asked. I already had a pretty good idea of how he was doing, but I wanted to make sure.

His face sank a little bit. "I'm okay I guess." He replied sadly. His face then popped right back to happy. "I made a couple of new friends awhile back. Would you like to meet them?"

I already know who they are, but I'll play along. "Sure, I'd love to." I said.

He scampered off ahead of me and I followed after him as I took a quick observation of the interior. The paint on the inside was old and fading away. There were holes in parts of the ceiling and walls. The floors were a mess and the carpet was extremely dirty. All in all this place was a piece of crap inside and out.

I followed Sly down a hallway until I came to a side room where I saw Bentley reading some kind of science book and Murray doodling in a coloring book.

When I walked into the room, the two of them turn and looked up at me. Murray looked as if he wasn't sure what to say and Bentley furrowed his eyebrows and gave me a skeptical look.

"_I think that Sly told them about you." The voice chimed in. _

"_It appears to be that way." I replied before I got a funny idea. "Is it possible to change a part of myself rather than my whole body?"_

"_It is and with some more practice you'll be able to. Why?" he asked. _

"_Do you think you could lend me a hand and just change my head momentarily?" I asked. I was going to give the two of them a fun little surprise and it seems as if the voice just caught on to what I was planning._

_With a small laugh he replied, "I can do that. Just make sure there's no one around first."_

"Hey guys, this is my Uncle Isaac." Sly introduced. When he said that, I felt even prouder of myself than I did before. I never would have imagined hearing those words come from his mouth.

"Uncle Isaac, these are my friends Bentley and Murray." He said.

I reached down and I gently shook hands with both of them. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you. I'm glad to see that Sly made some friends."

Murray finally found what he wanted to say and spoke up. "Excuse me, but is it true what Sly said about you transforming?" Well that sure didn't take long.

Bentley just rubbed his forehead. "Murray, as I've told Sly that is a scientific impossibility. No one is capable of doing such things and the idea is merely a work of fiction, nothing more." Is that so?

I held back a laugh and put on my straight face. "Would the two of you like to see a surprise?" I asked. This was going to be good.

"I like surprises." Murray said as I could see him filling with excitement. Bentley still seemed skeptical, but he went along with it anyway.

I quickly took a look around and I didn't see anyone else.

_Do it now._

"Now Bentley, I believe you said that transforming was merely a work of fiction and that's understandable." I said still fighting to hold my composure. "But consider this."

My head then turned back to normal and it was entirely human again. I let my composure go and I looked at Bentley with a shit-eating grin.

Bentley's mouth dropped open so fast I was sure I heard a thump and Murray looked as if he had seen the greatest trick in the world.

I stepped up to Bentley and I waved my hand in front of his face. He didn't react at all.

"_I think you broke him," said the voice._

My head turned back to normal and I was all wolf again. I tried snapping my fingers this time and I was able to get a response. Bentley quickly shook his head and he closed his mouth.

"That was amazing!" yelled Murray.

"But how?" asked Bentley. He was clearly shaken and I could see him trying to wrap his head around this.

"Don't think about it too much." I told him. "My abilities don't even fall within the realm of science." Knowing Bentley, he would kill himself over this if he didn't let it go.

To get his mind off of it, I asked, "Do you think you could tell me who runs this place?"

Sly decided to chime in. "That would be Ms. Puffin, but she's still asleep." As he spoke, I could see that Murray looked a little nervous. "I wouldn't wake her, she can get pretty cranky."

I was originally going to talk to her about the state of this place, but I guess I'll do that later.

Since I didn't know exactly what to get for the kids here, I decided to ask Bentley.

"Do you think you could make a Christmas list for me?" I asked. No matter what was on that list, except for maybe new parents, I was going to get it. "I'm not sure what all of the kids here want."

The three of them, upon hearing this, immediately got to work and they comprised a list of the things that the different kids wanted.

The list included:

-A new wagon

-Toy airplane

-Dolls

-Action Figures

That's another thing that I've found I like about this place. The people in this universe seem to appreciate things a lot more than they did back home.

I took the list from them and after folding it I placed it in my pocket.

I just remembered something.

"Sly, it's okay that you told Bentley and Murray about me, but I don't want the three of you telling anyone else all right." I said. I really don't want to wind up in Area 51 or whatever their equivalent is. "I can't have anyone finding out about me. Can you promise you won't tell?"

The three of them looked at each other and then back to me. "We promise." They all said simultaneously.

That's a load off my mind. "Good." I said. "Oh and don't tell anyone I was here okay." I want to keep the gifts a surprise.

"We won't." They replied. I was also glad that the canon seemed to be intact so far. I'm not really worried about keeping it in line, but rather I like to know what's going to happen ahead of time and stay prepared for it.

I waved them goodbye and I headed out the door. I decided to head back home to take care of some things.

"_You should start up an account on ThiefNet when we get back." The voice said. I had already thought of it before, but I don't know how to access it. "I'll take care of pulling it up."_

It's a little disconcerting how he seems to be able to read my inner thoughts at different times. Or it may just be that I'm easy to read.

When I got home, I went into my bedroom and I turned on the computer.

_The voice then spoke in an artificial, feminine voice, "Logging you in Isaac."_

"_Thanks EDI." I responded and I couldn't help but smile at that._

The screen flickered for a moment before the ThiefNet website popped up. I quickly went through the steps and I set up an account under the name "Folklore." The name felt appropriate considering the situation I'm in.

Looking through the site, I found where I could sell my loot and I sold both the vase and the painting. When I saw how much I made, I jumped out of my seat and I did a little dance. I don't care if I look stupid I'm rich as hell.

I now have $110 million dollars.

I looked at the sword and the "Eye of Rubora" that were still in my possession and I decided to keep them. Seeing how much money I just made, I think I might get a vault at some point and start a collection of valuables and rare items like Sly's ancestors did.

I put them away and was about to log out when I received an incoming request for a chat.

"_You should answer that." The voice advised. The way he said it made it sound important._

I clicked on the request and the chat opened up. On the right side where the person's picture should be, there was just a black screen. A message then appeared on the screen in black text.

Comedian: Have you gotten the paper today?

Folklore: Yes, why?

Comedian: Take a good look at the front page.

I made the paper appear and I looked at the cover story which I noticed was about last night's robbery.

_I really need to pay closer attention to things._

The front cover had a picture of the empty case that the "Eye of Rubora" used to sit in with a couple of police officers around it. The article went on to give information such as what else was stolen and at what time the robbery occurred. It even reported how the museum curator's office was barricaded from the inside, but that when they opened the door there was no one there.

The headline read "Loss of Eye Leaves Police Blind."

_I think along with that vault idea, I might also start a scrapbook or photo album of all my heists and time here._

Comedian: Your first heist was very entertaining.

Folklore: How do you know about that? _I have an idea._

Comedian: Did you not see the video. We're always watching and waiting.

Folklore: What are you waiting for?

Comedian: Why the beginning of the end of course.

Folklore: Why can't anyone give me a clear answer?

Comedian: It's because you're not ready to know yet and because it's fun to mess with you.

I just sat there annoyed and as I was about to exit the chat room the profile box changed. Everything became distorted as I saw a set of white, razor sharp teeth appear and the teeth were in the biggest, shit-eating grin I had ever seen. A message then appeared beneath the mouth.

_BE PREPARED._

_MERRY CHRISTMAS._

The chat room then closed and I logged off of ThiefNet. Unlike that video I received from Bomber, I didn't feel sick this time. Whether that meant I was getting use to my powers or something else I wasn't sure.

I turned off the computer and I pulled out the Christmas list. There is no way I'm going to be able to get all of this stuff in town.

"_You could always go back to Paris." The voice suggested. I could tell he wasn't being serious._

"_Even though I wasn't seen, I'd still rather not go back there so soon." I said. I knew that I would eventually end up back there, especially with the events of the games, but it would feel strange to do so right now._

"_Where are you going to go for Christmas shopping then?" He asked._

"_I think that I'll hit up London." I replied without even thinking about it. I've never been to London before, but I think that I'll fare better there than I would in other places without going to the states. "It looks like a beautiful city and I know I'll be able to find a lot of interesting things there for the kids."_

"_Do you want to go there now?" He asked. I could tell he already knew what my answer was._

_I simply replied, "Yeah." Oh wait, I just remembered something. "Make sure I don't wind up somewhere where I attract attention."_

"_I would never dream of placing you in the middle of public." He said in a mock innocent voice. I could tell that he would find the idea to be hilarious, but with everything that's going on he wouldn't try it. "Why, it wouldn't be fun at all to scare the populace."_

"_Let's just go."_

I took a step forward and I disappeared from my home.


	7. Chapter 7: By the Bell's Toll

A/N: Hey everyone. I just wanted to give a heads up that this and the next few chapters are going to be more build up and me setting the stage for later on in the story. I'm going to try to release the next chapter on Christmas Day which might include the "Cookie-Steelin' Plan" but I'm not sure yet. I wanted to thank my readers for all of the views and the people who have reviewed, faved and followed my story. I just hope I didn't try to pack in too much this chapter.

If the next chapter isn't released on Christmas Day, then I now wish you a Merry Christmas.

If you see any mistakes or ways that I can improve, then please leave a review. I like working on this story, but it's also serving as practice so I can one day write and publish my own series.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 7: By the Bell's Toll

When I reappeared, I found that I was now standing in a metal car of some kind and that I was a good ways up in the air. The car had a gray floor and a light brown wooden bench in the center of it. The metal framing in the interior was white and it was shaped like an eye in the center which expanded outwards. There were also two handrails that ran along the glass and metal in front of me.

I slowly walked up to the front of the car and was given a beautiful view as I continued to rise even higher.

From my vantage point, I could see the city of London stretching out for miles. I was able to see Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster. There was also the Westminster Bridge which stretched across the River Thames from my side of the river over to the palace.

I pulled out my Binocucom and I zoomed in on Big Ben to check the time. It appeared to be a little bit past 10AM which I thought was strange at first as I left my house a little past 11, but I then guessed that the time zones were different.

_The time in London is always an hour behind Paris and other cities in France._

The main thing that concerned me is that it was a sunny day. I've run into or talked to people who have been to or are from England and they've said that it rains a lot in London so I'm glad I didn't get caught in that.

The sky was a light blue and was clear of any clouds and the rising sun gave the river a nice shimmer.

To keep my mind off the heights, I started taking pictures of the surrounding area using my Binocucom's camera function.

"_Enjoying the view?" the voice asked._

_I am immensely, but being up this high still bothered me. "Couldn't you have set me on the ground somewhere? Maybe in a side alley or something?"_

_The voice clearly didn't care for my phobia. "I could have, but I didn't. Besides, you need to get rid of your fear of heights. It will only get in the way in the future."_

"_I suppose you're right." I hated to admit. Considering all of my future heists and how high up I'll probably be, overcoming my fear would come in handy. "Where am I anyway?"_

"_You are currently riding the Eye of London." He told me. "I thought that since you had never been to London before that this would be the best spot to start."_

_I was slightly worried since no one saw me step into the car. "Don't you think people will find it strange that I just appeared in here out of nowhere?" I inquired as surely not everyone would fall for my lie._

_The voice just repeated what he had said six months back. "Just tell them you're an Illusionist. Often times, if people can't wrap their heads around something, they will accept a lie to make themselves feel more secure and comfortable. No one saw you get on, but how you came to do so will bother them so they'll be more likely to accept whatever you say." He clearly thought that people were pretty stupid._

I couldn't really make a good counterargument so I just continued taking pictures until the ride was finished.

It was about another 20 minutes before the ride was over and I stepped out of the car.

As I thought might happen, one of the people who was in charge of the operation of the Eye of London came walking up to me. He was a leopard of some kind and he looked a bit irritated. I don't know if it has anything to do with that rivalry between cats and dogs, but I'm going to enjoy making this guy look stupid.

He stopped in front of me and gave me a glare. It's kind of funny that he thinks he can intimidate me especially considering I have the Slender Man looking for me. "Excuse me sir, but you can't get on without paying."

I gave him my best straight face. "But I did pay you. Don't you remember?"

His glare intensified. "I think I would have remembered someone like you getting on."

_Make a note to buy a recorder later on._

"Then why don't you?" I asked. I already have a plan on how to deal with this. "Every time someone gets on, the wheel comes to a stop at the next empty car. Only one car can be boarded at a time and surely you or someone else would have noticed me."

"I don't know how you did it, but I know you snuck on!" This guy clearly doesn't know who he's messing with.

"_You know that ability we have where we can make objects disappear and reappear?" I asked with mischief in my voice._

"_What about it?" The voice was curious as to where I was headed with this._

_I let out a mental laugh. "Do you think you can make things reappear on someone else's person?" This is going to be good. It'll be even better if I get a supervisor involved._

_The voice let out a low, somewhat evil sounding laugh. "I see where you're going with this. It can be done. Just keep talking to him; I'll take care of it."_

"What's going on over here?" I looked over towards the speaker and saw a female black panther approach us. I'm guessing she was this guy's supervisor because his demeanor did a complete 180 degree turn.

I gave her my straight face, but I left some gratitude in my expression this time. "Hello Miss, I was just getting off the Eye when your employee came over and suggested that I may have snuck into one of the cars." Man it's hard to keep that grin off my face. "I calmly explained to him that that wasn't the case as someone would have seen me and I already paid."

I could tell that he was still irritated, but he kept himself in check around her. The guy was whipped. "He's lying! I never saw him get on."

"As I said, you have to stop the wheel for people to get on." I repeated for her sake. "I paid you before I got on as well."

The black panther was becoming impatient. "How many people got on the Eye this time?"

"If you count this guy, then five people got on today." He answered. He really didn't want to incur her wrath.

She seemed a little fed up with him. "Go bring the income for today."

The leopard ran off and he came back within a couple of minutes carrying a metal box.

She took the box from his grasp and looked between the two of us. "If what he says is true, then there should be $100 dollars in here. If not, then there will be only $80."

Before she opened the box, a $20 bill appeared in it.

She checked the contents of the box and saw exactly $100 dollars inside. She turned towards me. "I'm sorry for bothering you sir. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

As much fun as this was, I didn't want to get the guy fired. "It's all right. Just go easy on him. We all mess up sometimes."

The leopard started stuttering in outrage. "I know he snuck on. I never saw him!"

She gave him a glare that shut him up. "Just get back to work and make sure to pay more attention to things."

I just walked down the road towards Westminster Bridge as they disappeared in the background. Once I got away far enough, a smile appeared on my face and I let out a laugh.

"_I wasn't sure if you could pull that off or not. Nice job." The voice was proud of me for successfully lying._

_I don't enjoy lying, but it had to be done. "It's all about keeping a straight face and I've had plenty of practice with that." Plus, it's fun to make people look stupid if they mess with you._

I didn't take me long to reach the bridge and I made sure to take plenty of pictures from different angles of and on it.

The Westminster Bridge was composed of seven archways which spanned from Lambeth to the south to Westminster to the north. The bridge had eight light posts on both sides and each post had three lights on it.

As I walked across, I made sure to turn around and take a few pictures of the Eye of London.

_When I get better control of my powers, I'm going to go traveling around the world._

I eventually made my way to the other side and was standing by the palace and Big Ben. The Palace of Westminster had Gothic style architecture and the whole structure appeared to be a light shade of brown.

I looked up at the clock and I saw that it was about 11:20 AM.

Walking through London, I've come to appreciate the fact that I don't have a car. Over here, you drive on the left side of the road. I would probably get into an accident trying to get use to that.

_I also had no idea where the hell I was going. "Do you think you could point out some stores for me?" _

"_It's already been taken care of." The voice said. "I also brought a few other shops up besides toy stores in case you wanted to get anything else."_

Now that I think about it, I have no idea what to get any of my friends. Oh well, I'm sure I'll think of something.

I pulled out my Binocucom again and I saw my wolf symbol hovering over four different stores down the road. I put it away and I resumed walking.

It took me awhile to reach the first store, but it's a nice day and at least I'm getting good exercise from this. When you go traveling, it's fun to just walk around different places and take everything in.

The first place was Garn's Books. The interior of the store had dim lighting and the air was rich with the smell of old books. This made the folkloric atmosphere that was present in this place even stronger.

While I was there, I decided to get a few different books for Arthur. He came off as sophisticated and he seemed to be pretty well-read so I thought these would fit. I ended up buying him a series of books that reminded me of Sherlock Holmes except these ones looked a little more complex and slightly darker in nature.

As I was about to leave, there was a thick book that caught my eye. The book had a pitch black binding and there were no words or markings anywhere on it. There was also a silver lock on it and I didn't see a key anywhere, but I was still drawn to it and I knew I couldn't leave without it.

"I see that something has caught your eye." That broke my focus. I looked over and saw an older owl staring at me. The owl had a pair of glasses perched on his beak and he wore a dark green coat with a red undershirt that game him a scholarly appearance. He wore a brown belt around the bottom of his shirt. He was in decent shape for his age and he had yellow eyes. He was maybe 5'8" and had brown and gray feathers. I guess this was Garn.

"Uh yes, I was examining this book and found it curious that it doesn't bear a title or any markings to indicate what it is." I was genuinely excited and I felt myself fill with a childlike

curiosity over the book's contents. I had to know more. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this book would you?"

The owl let out a sigh. "I'm afraid I don't." He answered. "This book arrived in a box one day among others that I had ordered. I tried to find out how it ended up with me, but when I contacted the seller he said he didn't know anything about it."

That's a disappointment. "If you don't know where it came from or its contents, then why did you keep it?"

"I could never bring myself to dispose of a book." The thought of doing such a thing clearly bothered him. I guess it must be like me and trees. Even if someone paid me a large sum of money, I could never bring myself to cut one down. "And even though I didn't know anything about it, I hoped that at some point someone would come for it and figure it out."

There's still another matter. "A key wouldn't have happened to come with by chance would it?" If that was the case, the owl most likely would have opened it, but I had to make sure.

"No, I never saw a key which is a real shame." He replied. "To not be able to enjoy a good read, that is a true punishment."

I guess I'll figure it out on my own. "How much is the book?"

A look of relief appeared on the owl's face. "I won't charge you anything since you're the only one to show any interest in it." That is both nice and strange. I would think a lot of people would try to figure it out. He then said something that caught me completely off guard. "You'd better take the book with you. If you leave it behind, it will just depress the rest of them. And before you know it, they'll start molting. Pages everywhere."

I kept my composure, but somehow I think he knew what he said had affected me. I think I'll return the favor. "That's really kind of you. Thank you."

"Oh, shush. Stop it." He replied with a smile on his beak.

"Who are you?" I wore a smile on my face as I awaited his answer.

"A friend."

I guess that's as good as I'm going to get around here. "Fair enough, I guess I'll be seeing you."

I grabbed the book and the rest of my purchases, but before I left he called after me. "If in the future there are answers you seek, then you can come to me for assistance."

I don't know exactly who he is, but he clearly knew me. I'll definitely be coming back.

As I walked to my next destination, I just shook my head and let out a small laugh.

_That bastard quoted MirrorMask. He is definitely not of this universe._

I continued onto the next place which was a clothing store named "Hunston's."

The interior of this place was very modern, for whatever year it was. It had brown, wooden floors like "The Hidden Wardrobe" but the walls were painted a light blue and there was a decent amount of light throughout the store.

Not knowing what to get Sylvia, I decided to play off one of her talents which is tailoring. You wouldn't think it at first, due to her personality, but she enjoys creating clothing and crafting different styles. I guess that's pretty obvious since she owns a clothing store.

The clothes in here were a bit different than what she carried. I thought that maybe bringing back something might give her some ideas or show her what to avoid. She does like to stay original.

I bought a few different pairs of pants, some dresses and a few samples of everything else.

I scanned the area once more and I saw yet another thing that drew my curiosity. When I got closer to it, I couldn't help but laugh.

_How many references am I going to run into today?_

Hanging on the wall, there was a dark blue trench coat with some gold patterns sewn into it around the collar. The collar was brown and so were the ends of the sleeves. The coat was accompanied by a white button-down shirt and a black vest. There was also a greenish-gold tie that hung loosely and brown pants with a black belt.

_I wonder where the last piece is._

I soon spotted them as a pair of brown boots with black laces sat on the floor not very far away.

_Someone is doing this on purpose. I can't help but feel the voice did this._

The reason why I was surprised is that the outfit in front of me is Keats' from Folklore. The only thing missing is the glasses and I will not be wearing any. I think my hair might be too thick for the role, but I'm not sure.

_That game was too underrated._

I decided to buy it because while funny I also thought it was very nice. I soon departed the store and I headed towards the third place on my list.

On the way there, I noticed that London had an Interpol station. That made me slightly nervous, but knowing that there had been no traces left behind I just continued onwards.

The third place was a jewelry store and once I noticed this I stopped and stood there.

"_Why did you put a jewelry store on the list?" I asked._

_The voice decided now was a good time to mess with me. "I thought that a nice piece of jewelry would make your girlfriend happy."_

_Ah, Dammit. "She's not my girlfriend." I didn't want to deal with this right now. "I can't explain why, but I feel at ease when she's around."_

"_You like her. Admit it." The voice persisted._

"_I like her as a friend and nothing more." Hopefully this will get him to shut up. "Plus, I don't see how any of this is your damn business."_

_The voice decided to stop pestering me. "Okay, I'll drop it for now, but even if you don't have any feelings I still think jewelry would make a good gift."_

"_I suppose so." I reluctantly admitted. I never understood what the big deal about jewelry was, but if a woman likes it then it works out. "I just hope I don't have to put up with any crap inside."_

"_Considering it's you, crap is always bound to happen at some point." He joked. "It's like Murphy is your best friend almost."_

I stepped inside and it looked just like any other jewelry store. The walls were a light blue and there were two long glass cases on either side of me filled with all sorts of necklaces, bracelets and other things.

One of the jewelers caught my attention. "Can I help you sir?"

"I'm looking for something for a good friend of mine." I told the hare hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

And she did take it the wrong way. "Would this you and this friend happen to be in a relationship?" I know what love feels like and this isn't it.

"No, just friends." I insisted. "I was thinking about getting her something that matches her eyes."

It didn't look like she believed me. "What color are her eyes?"

"They are a strong glacier blue." I was digging myself a hole. "I thought that I might get her a necklace."

She questioned me again. "Are you sure you're not together? That seems like something awfully nice just to give to a friend."

"Don't they say that the customer is always right?" I asked rhetorically while trying to maintain my composure. I couldn't help but feel irritated.

"All right." She finally decided to drop it. "Would you like to look at some?"

"Please."

She soon presented a collection of them to me and I spent awhile perusing them until I found one with a silver chain and a sapphire embedded in it that would hang above her chest.

"Is that everything sir?"

I thought back to Sylvia's gift and while nice I felt that it might not be good enough by itself. I looked through the cases and I soon found a silver band that she could wear below her wrist.

The band was a little thick and it was engraved on the outside. The engraving was done in a leaf pattern which would contrast nicely with Sylvia's personality.

I paid for both pieces and I walked out of there with extra speed in my step.

_I'm getting tired. Just one more place to go._

The final place was the toy store and it had only been a few more minutes down the road.

There were toys on display in the front windows and the name on the sign above me read "Bungees." I pulled out my list and I stepped inside.

It would take too long to describe and I couldn't do it enough justice, but the inside was massive. The store was five stories tall and it had just about any toy you could ask for. In short, it was a kids' paradise. For my wallet, it was the opposite, but at least I'm rich now from that heist.

It was also a bit of a cluster due to it being Christmas in a little over 2 weeks. Letting out a deep breath, I made my way through the store.

I walked through the store for about an hour looking for everything through all of the chaos.

"_Next time I may just order my stuff from the computer at home." I was starting to get sleepy._

"_Why didn't you this time?" the voice asked._

_It's too nice out to have done that. "Back home, I spent too much time sitting indoors as I went about my life, but here I have more time and resources so I'm not as preoccupied." I told him. "Plus, I wouldn't pass up the chance to travel in favor of sitting in my room all the time."_

The last item on my list was a new wagon which I knew would be crucial to the success of the "Cooky-Steelin' Plan." I had to make sure that went to plan as it would cement the beginnings of the Cooper Gang.

I found a red one after a few minutes and it was the last one available. I walked over to it and was thinking I could get the hell out of here when another hand grabbed it at the same time. I looked up and saw a fox staring back at me, but there was something strange about him.

The fox in front of me was 6'2" and appeared to be in pretty good shape. He was a red fox just like Arthur except his fur was a little different. He had light orange fur around his eyes and mouth which traveled down the front of his neck. I'm guessing the underside of his tail is also lighter. The rest of him was a regular orange except for his ears. On the inside they were light orange while the tips were black. He had red eyes along with a thin black moustache and the black hair on his head was combed back a little and looked slightly gelled.

He was wearing a dark blue jacket that was open at the front with a black shirt underneath. He was also wearing brown pants with black running shoes and he had a brown belt on. There was an Interpol badge on the left side of his chest. He was clearly of Hispanic descent.

_I don't care if he's an Interpol agent. I'll kick his ass if he thinks he's going to take this._

When he didn't say anything, I decided to break the silence. "It appears that we are at an impasse."

"I agree." He responded. His voice was deep and smooth.

I came up with an idea. "I propose that we see what we need it for and whoever needs it more will leave with it." He seems like an honorable kind of guy. "Does that work for you?"

"It does."

"Do you want to go first?" I have found from personal experience that you should always end on a high note or that you should offer the better option second. People seem to feel better or agree with you more that way.

"That's fine." He started. "I'm currently working on a case here in London of the utmost importance and may not be able to spend time with my family this year so I'm sending them gifts in my place." I can sympathize with that, but that doesn't mean he's getting it.

I guess it's my turn. "I currently reside in the town of Debut and there is an orphanage there. The place is not in the best condition and the kids there don't have it as good as a lot of other children do." Now, it's time to make him feel sorry for them. "I'm trying to make life a little better for them by giving them gifts that they would never receive otherwise."

He seemed to be thinking about it. "Even though you're not there, your family still has you while the children have nothing." I hope that pushed it home.

He then let go of the wagon. "You're right. The children deserve it more." I'm glad he's a nice guy. I didn't want to have to fight him over it. "By the way, would your name happen to be Victor Drake?"

I was a little surprised. "Yes I am. Why do you ask?" I didn't expect anyone to know me here.

"I heard about you from James Barkley." I'm not as surprised now. "He told me about your connection to the Cooper case."

"It's a real shame what happened." I remarked. "I just hope the murderers are caught."

"James told me that you were snooping around after the murder took place." I didn't expect an interrogation when I came out here. "Do you mind telling me what you were doing?"

I don't really think a toy store is an appropriate setting for a questioning. "Can we not do this right now?" I need to get out of here. "Besides, I don't think this is the right setting for this conversation."

I hope this isn't where Carmelita gets her stubbornness from. "All right, but don't think this is over." He may have read a case file on me. I didn't think about any other cops aside from James.

"_Can you help me use influence again to persuade this guy?" I can't be dealing with this right now. "I don't want Interpol getting into my business."_

"_I'll take care of it." He responded. "You'll find that it'll be a little easier this time."_

"_Thanks."_

I took my items and I checked out at one of the front registers. I walked outside and I saw the Inspector waiting by an Interpol car. "Would you care to go for a ride?"

"Not really." I replied flatly. I hope he's not blind like his daughter tends to be. "But I'm probably going to end up going anyways so let's get a move on."

We both stepped into the car and we started driving south towards Westminster Bridge.

"I know that you were there that night at the Cooper residence." He started off. I felt a pulse in my head. "I don't know how you convinced James of your innocence, but you won't fool me."

This guy needs to lighten up. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I looked at the case file." I thought so. "And your alibi doesn't match up with police reports. According to the file, you apparently heard about the murder while in town, but no official report had been released on it yet."

He pressed his advantage. "The Cooper kid is also a bad liar so it's clear that someone else was there and with you snooping around it's obvious that you knew something was going to happen."

"_I don't mean to butt in, but there's a little bit of a problem." The voice sounded slightly concerned. _

_That doesn't sound good. "What is it?"_

"_The Inspector has a stronger mind than James did and increasing the influence too much will really hurt you." He warned as I felt myself slowly growing nervous._

"_What do I do then?"_

_He simply replied, "Keep a straight face and lie through your teeth. You seem to be good at that." _

Telling partial truths is easier than outright lying. "You're correct. I was there that night, but I wasn't aware that something was going to occur."

I decided to tell him what I told Sly. "I was a friend of Sly's dad **** and his son had just turned eight years old so I was coming to celebrate his birthday."

"I arrived there a bit late and when I arrived at the house I saw Sly in Muggshot's grasp about to get his head shot off." My face betrayed no emotion as I spoke. "I was able to fight the murderers off, but they got away and it was too late to save Sly's parents."

"_How badly will using influence hurt me right now?" I was willing to take a risk._

_The voice wanted me to be cautious. "If you successfully used it on him, the process would knock you out for a couple days so your mind could heal." That's not very good._

"_There is however another way." The way he said that made it sound like a bigger gamble. "One of the hardest abilities of the Slender Man is the "__**The Sickness**__."_

"_How does that work?"_

_He paused for a moment. "As the name implies, it will cause the victims to suffer one of a number of symptoms depending on how long they are exposed to it." _

"_At first exposure, it will cause nose bleeds, fevers like the common cold and mild amnesia." If that's only the basic level then I can see why he wants me to be cautious about it. "With each additional exposure, the symptoms get worse. You'll learn more later, but you should be fine with that for now."_

_I'm only doing this since this guy doesn't look like he'll believe me. "How do I give him amnesia?"_

"_This is the hard part." He clearly didn't like this. "To use it, you'll need to turn back to your human form. Once you do that, I'll step in and give you a hand."_

I didn't like this, but I don't want to be knocked out in a cop car.

"If you stop the car, I'll give you a vital piece of information for the case." I don't want to do this, but at the same time scaring people has always been fun. I just hope he isn't hurt from this.

He was still highly suspicious of me, but he parked the car and looked right at me. "What piece of information would that be?"

I let my composure go and gave him a huge grin. "It's this."

I changed back to normal which completely scared him and I suddenly heard a static noise like when the Slender Man gets you. The Inspector's eyes then rolled up into his head and he collapsed back into his seat. I felt slightly dizzy from that, but at least I wasn't unconscious.

_I never expected to run into this situation when I came to London._

I reached into his pocket to confirm something and I found a wallet with his I.D. inside. The card revealed that his name was Ricardo Federico Fox.

_I knew they were related. I just wanted to be sure._

I exited the car after I put his wallet back and slowly began to walk away.

_I've been wondering this. "How is using the Sickness easier than using Influence."_

_The voice just let out a sigh. "It's a bit complicated to explain, but basically it's the difference between building and blowing something up."_

I was about to respond when I heard Big Ben chime. I looked up and I saw that it was now 4 PM.

"_I'm just glad my day's over with." I said with relief._

"_Actually, you have one last piece of business to take care of." Are you fricking kidding me?_

"_What else is there?" I started taking deep breaths to keep myself calm._

_The voice found amusement in this. "Think of it as another test except this time will be your combat abilities."_

"_Can't I do this some other time?" _

"_It has to be now." The voice told me. "The Slender Man gets you when you least expect so you must always be ready which is the point of these exercises."_

_I guess I'll just suck it up. "Can you teleport me wherever it is now? I really want to leave."_

"_Wait for it."_

I just stood there listening to the bells chime and on the last chime everything seemed to freeze and I disappeared again.


	8. Chapter 8: Christmas Fun

A/N: Hey everyone, I originally planned to get this chapter out on Wednesday to coincide with Christmas, but I got caught up in things. I've noticed that with each chapter I type my problem switches. I still need more practice on my dialogue and descriptions, but I find the issue now is structuring. I'm not sure if I will yet or not, but I may go back when the story is done and retype each chapter to fix up some things. I might also add a few extra details to make it more interesting.

If you see any problems or see a way in which I can improve, then please leave a review.

New Year's Eve is coming up and I'd like to have the next chapter done by then, but I'm not sure if I will. If I don't then I wish you all a Happy New Year and thanks to all of you for reading my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 8: Christmas Fun

"_Hello Isaac. It's time to get up." Just let me sleep._

_I tiredly rubbed my face. "I know I already asked once, but can we do this later?"_

"_Well, you can continue to lie there if you want, but if you do there won't be much of a later." The voice spoke in a low, serious manner._

I slowly got up and when my eyes took everything in I shrunk back down into a crouch. I was standing on top of a pillar of stone and ice and all around me there was a deep abyss. The room I found myself in was clearly inside some type of ice caverns. The walls above and around me were a mixture of white and blue.

"_I agreed to overcome my fear of heights, but don't you think this is a bit extreme?" I felt like I was about to crap my pants._

_The voice just laughed. "In the future, these occurrences are going to become very common. You'll be pushed to your very limits and a bit beyond."_

"_Didn't you say there wasn't a need to do that again?" I asked nervously._

_That bastard just laughed again. "If you remember, I never said you wouldn't be pushed. I just said you wouldn't be set up again." That's right. He did say that. Dammit._

_I might as well get it over with. "What do I have to do then?"_

"_For today's exercise, you must stay alive." He said lacking any emotion._

_I can't say I'm surprised. "What does this exercise entail?"_

"_You'll be working on your fire control." He said. "You have to make sure your footing isn't destroyed by the flames."_

"_What flames?" I couldn't see anything._

_I could see a smile forming on his face. "These ones."_

On cue, four balls of fire appeared in each direction around me.

"_During this exercise, you'll be able to use all of your abilities." He further explained. "But I don't think they're going to help you that much." At least it's something._

_He then went on. "We're going to start you off slowly, but that's going to change very quickly so you had better learn fast."_

I slowly stood back up and I spread my arms out to balance myself. I took my lighter out of my pocket and I started flipping it open and closed as I watched each of the flames for the first sign of attack.

In my peripheral vision, a stream of fire shot out at me from my left side. I quickly flattened my hand and I stuck it out to stop the flames. With my full concentration focused on it, I found stopping the fire wasn't too difficult.

_Don't get comfortable._

The stream of fire then joined it from my right and I was able to catch it before it got to me. I was starting to sweat a little bit, but everything was good so far.

It was at that moment I came to a realization.

I only have two hands so how in the hell am I going to stop the other two flames.

I decided to turn my body diagonally so that I could control two flames with each hand. The plan seemed like a good idea at first and I believed it would lead to my success in this situation.

That idea was soon destroyed.

Rather than one sphere being added on, both of them shot at me, but this time they aimed lower and hit my footing. The ice quickly began to melt and it didn't take very long for me to slip and fall off.

_Holy Shit!_

I instantly turned into my wolf form and I dug my claws into the pillar. I slid down a ways and I wore down my claws to the point where my fingers bled a little bit. I then looked up and I noticed that the flames had stopped for the time being.

I wasn't going to go back up there until I figured something out.

As I hung from the ice, I went through a number of ideas, but I didn't think any of them would end up working. For me to survive, I'm going to have to come up with something that doesn't rely entirely on my control. I'm able to shoot fireballs from a short distance and a few others things, but not much else at this point.

I was about to give up and climb back up there when a light bulb suddenly appeared over my head. I honestly don't know why I didn't think of this before. It won't be perfect, but it's probably the best shot I've got.

It's a good thing I've watched a lot of anime.

I made my way up and when I reached the top I saw that the melted water had solidified. I was thankful for that as I pulled myself up and I got back into position right as the first fire started up again.

Just as before, I caught the first flame with one hand and the next with the other. Right before the other two started, I started spinning in place which caused a ring of fire to be formed around me.

_Diable Jambe…sort of. Thank you One Piece._

I was glad that this was working, but I couldn't keep it up forever as I felt the ice starting to melt once more. I was also getting dizzy.

Pushing the limits, I reached out and I grabbed the fireballs themselves and pulled them into the ring of fire. Once I saw I had a good rhythm going, I pushed the ring out and it shot forth in every direction.

I then plopped down and I sat there as I regained my breath.

"_Nice job." The voice congratulated. "You've passed the first test."_

_That's fricking lovely. "Oh joy. Can I just go home now?" I asked as I felt myself starting to nod off._

"_Of course." I'm just glad this day is over. "And as a reward there won't be any more of these exercises until after New Years has passed." _

_Thank goodness for that. "By the way, didn't you say this would be a combat test?" I inquired. I honestly expected I'd be fighting something today._

"_Well, it was a test of your fire control which is primarily a combat ability so it still counts." He explained to me. "If you had gone up against anything, excluding this world's inhabitants, then you would have been annihilated."_

"_I guess it's a good thing I didn't then." I've have enough crap for one day. "So, home?"_

The ice cavern suddenly faded away and I reappeared in my bed. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

14 days later…

===Christmas Eve===

It's the day before Christmas and all of the gifts are wrapped. Now I just need to get them inside the orphanage without getting my ass caught.

After I woke up, I discovered another one of those passive abilities the voice was talking about. I found that my body is now able to heal automatically. This became evident when the wounds on my fingers were gone when I woke up.

It didn't take me long to realize that I had forgotten something on my trip to London. Well, actually that would be two things.

I left Inspector Fox just sitting there in the car, hopefully the sickness worked, and I forgot to get candy for the children's' stockings. Luckily, I was able to find some candy around town so I didn't have to teleport anywhere else.

To make things easier, I've started making plans and coming up with ideas in concern to my different abilities. Once New Years has passed, I think I might also track down Inspector Fox and leave a bug or camera on him or close by.

In the games, I don't think it ever explained why Carmelita got into Interpol, but I think it was suggested that she might have seen something happen at some point to influence her to do so.

It was now around 10AM and I was starting to get nervous about handing out gifts.

"_You're just worried about what your girlfriend will think of her gift." The voice teased. I'll admit she's cute, but I only like her as a friend._

_That does worry me though, but it more has to do with the kids. "While that's fun to talk about, I have a quick question." I said. "Does this universe have a Santa Claus?" _

"_No, I don't believe it does." The voice told me. He then turned around and tried to make me look stupid. "You know that there is a computer behind you right?"_

"_There's no need to be a dick about it."_

I sat down at my desk and I pulled up the internet. It soon turned out that he was right and there was no mention of a Santa Claus to be found.

"_I guess this holiday didn't get polluted by greed and corporations here." Too many people have lost the true meaning of Christmas back home. "I think I can still work with this though."_

I surfed the net and I found something close to a Santa suit along with a few other things. I left the image up on the screen and I transformed my current attire into a Santa suit. Taking a look in the mirror, I saw that it looked pretty good and turned my clothes back to normal. I made a few purchases and I closed the screen.

Now that I had everything taken care of, all I could do was wait. There was going to be a Christmas party at "The Wandering Specter" tonight and all of my friends were going to be there.

9 hours later…

I was standing a short ways down the street from the Specter and I was breathing a little more heavily. From this distance, I could tell that the party was in full swing and there was much merriment going on inside.

_The voice let out a sigh. "Just get a move on already. She's not going to bite you."_

_She might. "I like to think I'm a pretty cool guy, but I have not had much luck with women." I find a lot of them to be too shallow or materialistic. "For whatever reason I don't know but giving a woman a gift isn't something I do often."_

"_Look, I'm sure everything will be fine." He comforted. "Now, take a deep breath and walk in there with confidence. She might even give you a kiss after she sees what you got her."_

_That does sound nice. _

I then realized what I thought and I shook my head.

I'm actually not sure what to think anymore. This issue has been going on for a while and I can't explain it or figure it out. I just feel so comfortable when Felicia's around. It's like I can say anything without fear of looking ignorant or stupid. Yet at the same time there's this underlying feeling that makes me doubt it's real love. I'm so confused by all of this.

I took a deep breath and I walked to the front door. I could hear music being played inside and everyone sounded like they were having a good time.

I opened the door and I swear that I thought the entire town had been packed in here. It didn't take very long for me to be spotted once I stepped inside.

"Hey everyone, the "Pit" is here!"

A number of the bar's patrons then looked towards me and as a joke I spread out my arms and I gave a little bow with my head. This got a few laughs out of them.

I made my way through the crowd to the bar where Arthur was being kept busy.

"Hello Victor." He said simply.

He didn't seem bothered or tired at all by how busy it was. "Merry Christmas Arthur. Are you doing all right?"

He passed a couple of pints down the counter. "I can't really complain. We're getting good business and everyone is having a good time." I don't know why, but talking to him reminded me of Garrus from the Mass Effect series.

A little grin then appeared on his face. "If you're wondering where my sister is, she's currently taking orders, but she'll be off in just a little bit."

The voice hadn't been the only one to tease me about this. Some of the townspeople had noticed the interactions between Felicia and I. "Uh thanks for that." I was starting to get nervous again. "Can I have a pint please?"

"Certainly." Arthur said in his smooth voice. "There's no need to be nervous. I'm sure she'll like whatever you got her."

"I'm trying not to be nervous." I rubbed the back of my head. "It's just that I don't have much experience with the opposite sex."

He filled a glass and handed it to me. "You'll be fine. Just walk up to her and talk like you normally would."

I let out a small laugh. "You make it sound so easy."

"It usually is." For you maybe, I'm surprised Arthur doesn't have a girlfriend. "Her shift should be over in about an hour."

I took a sip of my beer. "All right. Thanks again."

"No problem."

I walked off with my beer and I decided to socialize a little bit. For the next hour, I drank and chatted with a number of people, played some billiards and I had a good time.

I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was now 8PM. I felt something click in my mind and I took a glance at the doors to the kitchen. The doors opened up and there she was.

_You know what. Fuck it._

I downed the rest of my beer and I made my way over to her. I was halfway there when she turned her head and we made eye contact. A smile spread across her face and she gave me a little wave. That gave me the signal to pick up the pace and I was soon standing in front of her.

"Hello Victor."

"Hey Felicia. How are you this evening?" Keep it together.

She stared right into my eyes. "I'm fine. How are you?" I'm paralyzed.

I took a breath. "I've been having a pretty good time." Just get on with it. _"I've also been waiting for you."_ I murmured.

"I'm sorry, but what was that?" She asked. I don't think I could ever get upset at you.

"I said that I have a gift for you." I'm glad I finally got that out.

Her smile grew a little bigger. "I also got you something." That's sweet. "Would you like to exchange gifts now?"

"I don't have a problem with that."

"Good. I'll be right back."

She walked away and she went back through the doors which led to the kitchen. It only took a couple of minutes for her to get back to me and in her arms was a present wrapped in blue paper with a golden ribbon.

While she was gone, I had made my own gift appear in my hands. The necklace I had purchased was in a small black box with a light gray cushion on the inside. I had wrapped it in blue paper as she had mine, which is my favorite color, and it had a red ribbon on it instead.

"I wasn't sure what to get you, but I hope you like it." She said.

I let out a breath. "I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you give me."

We then exchanged gifts and I unwrapped mine first.

Inside the box, there was a smaller, dark blue box that contained a pocket watch. The front of the watch was gold and had Roman numerals engraved on it in the position of a clock and in the center was a glass screen to look through. The rest of the watch was silver and it was made using stainless steel. The back of the watch had my initials engraved on it along with a few other tidbits of information such as where it was made and the model number. The watch was on a silver chain. There was also a button on top of the watch to pop often the front to see the time.

I honestly never thought I'd get something like this.

"Thank you very much." A pocket watch is pretty awesome. It makes me feel of a higher quality. "This is a great gift. Now try opening yours."

Felicia slowly unwrapped her gift and she let out a gasp. She pulled the necklace out of the box and she just stared at it before looking at me.

"I don't know what to say." It was easy to see how surprised she was.

"Why don't you try it on."

She handed the necklace to me and turned around. I undid the chain and put it around her neck before linking it back together. She then grabbed the sapphire and gazed at it for a moment before turning to me once more.

I was suddenly caught off guard as she lunged at me and placed her arms around my neck. It's always nice to get hugged by a pretty girl.

Felicia then pulled her head back and she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Ooooohhhhh."

I looked over and I saw everyone in the bar watching us. I don't know if it could be seen through my fur, but I was definitely blushing.

"Will you all cut it out?!" I said. While I tried to come off as angry, it failed miserably and I couldn't help but laugh on the inside.

Thankfully, Sylvia came to my rescue who I had noticed playing darts earlier.

"All right, you've all had your fun." She yelled over the noise of the pub. "Let's get back to the party."

Everyone then turned back to what they were doing before.

Sylvia turned and grinned at us. "It looks like someone's happy this evening."

While I'm still confused about my feelings, that kiss was pretty nice.

"It's a shame that you two didn't go any further." That's kind of strange. "There's a betting pool on when and if you guys would ever get together."

_Is this town really so boring to the point where they need to bet on my love life?_

I had to ask this. "Were you one of those people?"

She suddenly grew quiet and she lightly kicked at the floor.

"What did you bet on?" I was genuinely curious.

She seemed a little disappointed. "I bet $20 dollars that you guys would admit your feelings tonight."

I guess it seemed like a pretty good moment to, but I don't think we've interacted enough for that.

I then hatched an idea. "Sylvia, if we ever do get together I'll let you know as long as you tell me the details of the pool." I don't appreciate people betting on me. "I want to teach them a lesson and if it all works out you might end up a little richer."

"You got it." She brightened up a bit.

"By the way, Merry Christmas."

I handed her a box wrapped with green paper and a red ribbon on it. I was sure she was going to enjoy this.

She took the gift from me and was overjoyed when she saw what I got her.

"Thanks man." She said as we gave each other a brief hug.

"No problem."

She then pulled out a gift for me. The box she handed me was wrapped in red paper and had a gold bow on it.

I carefully unwrapped it and inside was a necklace. The necklace was comprised of a black metal chain and at the end of it was a piece of opal that had been shaped into a cross. The gemstone showed every color of the visible spectrum.

This was yet another great gift. I'm not really into necklaces, but I was raised Christian and it's good to have a reminder of that. Even with everything that's gone on, I still hang onto it.

"Thanks for the necklace."

"It's no big deal." She replied. "I'm going to go enjoy the rest of the party. Have fun you two."

She walked away over to the pool tables and Felicia and I went and found a booth. As the party progressed, the two of us just sat there talking about various things and enjoying the festivities.

When things had gotten a little less hectic, I exchanged presents with Arthur. It turns out we both had the same idea when it came to gift giving. I gave him his mystery books and he gave me a few books dealing with folklore and mythology. That seemed strange to me at first, but I just let it slide as I was having too good of a time to get worked up over it.

Around 10 o'clock, everyone was called together and we took a large group photo which managed to squeeze everybody in.

This party had probably been the best one I had ever been to, but it came to an end shortly after the photo was taken. I was getting tired, but there was still one more thing I had to take care of tonight.

I left the Specter and after waving goodbye to my friends I went home where all of the kids' gifts were.

I transformed into my Santa suit and I vanished all of the gifts and candy along with a few other things. I then sat down and waited as I thought that midnight would be the best time to do this with everyone more likely to be asleep.

===Midnight===

I made sure to check the cameras before I left and I saw that everyone in the orphanage was asleep. Making sure I had everything together, I teleported over to its backyard from my bedroom.

While I was back there, I saw that the yard was just a field of grass that had grown a bit out of control. It looks like that'll be another thing to add to the list of stuff to take care of.

"_Are you ready?" The voice inquired._

"_Let's do this."_

I teleported into the building and I found myself on the first floor. I slowly crept through the area until I came to the room where I met Bentley and Murray the last time I was here. The room was about the size of a living room so it was all right, but there were no decorations of any kind.

_Well that's no fun._

Using my powers, I made a fake Christmas tree appear in the corner of the room. I love pine trees, but I don't enjoy the thought of them being cutting down for just one day of the year. Even if someone paid me money, I could never bring myself to cut down a tree.

The tree was covered in electric lights of blues, reds and greens and it was adorned with all sorts of ornaments and a long piece of golden tinsel which wrapped around the entire tree.

_Even though I don't fancy my situation, I love having these abilities._

I hung numerous red stockings on the nearby fireplace and I filled them with all sorts of goodies. Above them, I placed some green tinsel and a Christmas wreath with a red ribbon on it.

I made the presents appear underneath the tree and it was going to be fun to see the kids' faces when they woke up. I'm glad that Sly and his friends wrote down who wanted which gift so that I could properly label them.

I carefully walked out of the room and I made sure to decorate the rest of the floor with various decorations before I went upstairs. I also wrapped more green tinsel around the banister which had a few lights scattered along it.

_So far, so good._

On the second floor, I found a long room where all of the orphans were sleeping. There were multiple beds which lined both sides of the room and the room was divided so that the girls were on my left and the boys on the right.

I quietly made decorations appear all around the room and I left a few goodies on their beds. Seeing that everything was good, I turned around and stepped forward, but my foot stopped before I finished the action.

I looked down and saw that I almost stepped on a toy which surely would have awoken someone.

_I'm not falling into that cliché. I'm just glad it's not a fricking stick._

Although I didn't step on anything, it turned out that I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was.

"Uncle?"

I recognized that voice right away and sure enough Sly was standing behind me with a drowsy look on his face. I let a small smile spread across my face.

In a quiet voice, I said, "Hey kid. Merry Christmas."

"What are you doing?" I could tell he was about to fall sleep again.

"I'm just making sure that everyone is asleep so that the gifts can be delivered." I'm a little on the fence about Santa Claus. I liked the idea of him as a kid as he made the holiday more interesting, but for a kid to discover that's a lie is kind of mean. "If you don't go to sleep then he won't be away to swing by."

He grew even more curious. "Who's coming?"

"Why Santa Claus of course. He's a big, jolly man in a red suit and he travels all around the world in a single night delivering gifts to good boy and girls." I could see wonder grow in his eyes.

"Can I see him?" He asked innocently as he looked up at me.

I still think that's adorable. "I'm afraid you can't." I told him. "If you're awake he won't appear. That is how his magic works. Now, I think it's time you went back to bed."

I scooped him up in my arms and I carried him back to his bed. Once I made sure that he was tucked in and asleep, I left the room and I went up to the third floor while leaving more decorations in my wake.

The third floor was small and it looked as if it mainly belonged to Ms. Puffin and storage. I didn't go into her room, but I left a box wrapped in green paper outside of her door.

"_Can you teleport me back home now? I think I'm done."_

"_All right."_

I suddenly reappeared back in my bedroom and I turned my clothes back to normal. I looked at the clock and saw that it was half past midnight. I walked over to my bed as I shifted to my human form and I was asleep within a few minutes.

===8AM Christmas Morning===

I woke up to the sound of knocking at my front door. I would normally go back to sleep, but I didn't want to miss something in case it was important. I became a wolf again and I threw on a pair of black pants before I walked downstairs shirtless.

I opened the front door, but I didn't see anyone or notice anything until I looked down. At my feet, there sat a package wrapped in black paper with a blood red ribbon. Not wanting to embarrass myself again, I brought the box inside and set it on the table.

There was a tag tied to the ribbon on top and I was slightly shaken when I saw what was on it. On the tag, there was a huge grin with white teeth and underneath it it said, "That was some party last night."

I carefully unwrapped the box and opened it. Inside, there was the picture that was taken the previous night in a black frame. I saw myself closer to the center and my friends were all standing around me with the bar's other patrons standing in different spots.

I then noticed that there was a dark spot in the image behind me. Strangely, it started moving and I saw a huge grin appear in it with white teeth that penetrated the darkness. The figure rose a glass and at the bottom of the picture the words "Merry Christmas" appeared.

_The part that's truly scary is that I didn't even notice him._

Seeing that it wasn't going to do anything else, I set the picture down on the table and I went into my monitor room where I checked up on the kids.

Looking at the screens, I could see that all of them were having a good time and enjoying their gifts. That is, except for Ms. Puffin. In her hand, she held a piece of coal and a gift tag. The tag read, "Merry Christmas you scrooge."

I thought that was funny. Now I just have to wait a little longer for the "Cooky-Steelin' Plan" to take place.

"_Merry Christmas Isaac." The voice said surprising me._

"_Merry Christmas dude."_

It was going to be a good day.


	9. Chapter 9: Cooky-Steelin' Plan

A/N: Happy New Year Everyone! Thanks to everyone who has read my story and to everyone who has faved and followed it and left reviews. I thought this would be a good point in the story to start introducing more of the supernatural element I left as one of the story's categories. In the future, I plan to introduce other creatures from folklore and mythology into my story at different points. I've also been studying more to make sure I stay as accurate as possible.

If you see any mistakes or ways in which I can improve or if you just want to tell me how I did then leave a review. This is my first fanfiction and I'm trying to improve my writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 9: Cooky-Steelin' Plan

For around the next 2 ½ months, I made sure to pay closer attention to the monitors as I knew that their plan to get back their cookies from Ms. Puffin would be coming up soon. What tipped me off was that I had noticed that Ms. Puffin had been taking more cookies lately. I might have also heard the gang talking about how mean of her it was to do such things and how they wished they could get their treats back.

In that time frame, I also made life easier for them as I fulfilled my promise to fix up the orphanage. Ms. Puffin seemed against it at first, but with the promise of a new, clean office she agreed. I hired a crew of people to come in after New Year's had gone by and they got to work right away.

The whole place got a new coat of paint inside and out and it stuck to the same colors it had before. The windows were replaced and new flooring was put in. The children were also happy to have new beds and they were thrilled about the play equipment I had placed outside in the backyard. The lawns were tended to and I had some plants brought in to decorate the place. I also fixed up the sign.

Overall, the place looked a lot better and not like a piece of crap anymore.

This act of goodwill landed me on the front page of the local newspaper along with a few others. My reputation went up as a result of this and I had another piece to add to my scrapbook.

I had come across a few keys and I tried them on the book I bought in London. Unfortunately, none of them worked and I've made a note to keep my eyes open in the future for any keys I come across.

My fire control has gotten a little better and I can now create a spinning ring of fire around me like back in the caverns. It should hopefully serve as a good form of both offense and defense as it will deter anyone from attacking my back if I'm open.

I can also create fireballs with a little less effort now and my firing rate has gone up. Hopefully, I never come into a situation where I'm swarmed by a great number of enemies.

Aside from my fire control, I haven't been working too much on my other abilities. That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking of ways I can improve myself. There are a few forms I plan to transform into once I make sure I've got everything down. I've also found it more difficult to change just one part of my body than the whole which is an issue I hope to fix.

Tendril summoning also becomes more difficult the higher in number you go and it's mentally straining to have to keep control of each one. It's almost like they have a mind of their own sometimes.

My love life has stayed pretty much the same. I have continued to hang out with each of my friends and I don't think I could ever build up a real relationship with Felicia before I get rid of this nagging feeling in the back of my head. I'm honestly stumped as to what's causing it.

She also seems fine with our current arrangement and is okay with our friend status. Normally, any guy would dread the friend zone, but in this situation I'm a little relieved. It's kind of funny being an exception to the rule.

These last 2 ½ months have been pretty good. Let's just hope it stays that way even though it's not likely to.

===March 12th===

_Beware the Ides of March._

"Huh?"

"_Did you say something?"_

_The voice replied, "I didn't say anything at all."_

That was weird, but then again so is everything around here.

I was sitting at the table in my kitchen and I had just finished eating a big thing of pasta. It was currently 11AM. A good part of the morning had been spent reading those books that Arthur had given me for Christmas.

The books mainly covered European folklore and mythology and didn't really go into the tales of other lands and countries.

Something that I found to be pretty interesting was how many different creatures are able to shapeshift and the forms they can turn into. It gave me a whole new perspective on my camouflage powers.

Before now, I never thought of this but I could use my ability a form of intimidation. It would be hilarious to transform into something and scare the crap out of someone. I just have to make sure not to take it too far. I don't want to mentally scar anyone.

Thinking about it, there have been a few people who have seen my human form now and they weren't as scared as I thought they would have been. People usually flip out about the unknown so I figured seeing how I actually look would leave more of an impact. I guess not.

As I sat there, thinking about potential transformations, an alarm went off in my monitor room and I left the kitchen to see what was up.

I turned on the screens and I saw Sly, Bentley and Murray standing in some kind office in front of Ms. Puffin who was currently seated.

Ms. Puffin was an old puffin wearing a purple sweater of some kind with a white pattern going down the front. She had a white beaded necklace on and a pair of those old square reading glasses that made someone look like a stick in the mud. The glasses rested just above her green beak. She had purple feathers and her white/silver hair was done up in a bun.

She had a scowl on her face as she looked upon the three of them.

Each of them was wearing a different expression.

Murray's face was a strange mixture of nervousness, hunger and absentmindedness. His tongue was sticking out the right side of his mouth so I imagine he was thinking of consuming the cookies.

Bentley, being the brains of the group, kept a straight face and tried to stay silent.

Even at the age of 8, it was easy to see Sly's leadership qualities starting to spill through. He kept a cool head and he had a smile on his face. It wasn't a shit-eating grin, but it was a few steps away from it. He seemed to be trying to give off the "good kid" image that could never lie or do wrong.

I remember doing that when I was going through public school. In fact, I don't think there was any kid who admitted to wrong doing in my school days. It was known by most everyone that that was a stupid idea.

I turned on the audio and listened in onto what was going on.

"Now, what gave the three of you the idea that you could steal my cookies?" Ms. Puffin asked in a superior voice.

Sly maintained his innocent look. "Ms. Puffin, we would never dream of trying to steal your treats."

Her glare increased at that. "Don't try lying to me Cooper." She snapped at him. "I know that you and your little cohorts have been up to no good."

"Excuse me, Ms. Puffin." Bentley decided to step in. "But how could we have tried to steal your cookies? We've been busy playing with our toys and surely someone would have seen us trying anything."

"Don't try to get smart with me." She snapped again. "The janitor saw you little delinquents trying to get into my office."

Sly gave his best honest look. "We weren't trying to get into your office Ms. Puffin." Sly said with innocence in his voice. "We were trying to find you because Murray ate some crayons and we weren't sure if they would hurt him or not."

Always try to make the lie believable and if you can't tell a partial truth. It's easier to tell half-truths than outright lies.

Ms. Puffin was still doubtful of his honesty, but she had to admit she could see Murray doing that. In her mind, he didn't come off as the brightest child. "I suppose that could be true, but don't think I won't keep my eyes on you."

"Murray should be fine." She continued. "Now go back to whatever it was you were doing before. The three of you give me a headache."

"Yes Ms. Puffin." Sly and Bentley responded. Murray was still on in a world of his own. Sly and Bentley grabbed ahold of Murray which caught his attention and the three of them left her office.

As they walked away, I switched to a different monitor.

"Gee guys that was a close one." Murray looked to be relieved. "I thought for a moment there we were done for."

Sly put his hand on Murray's shoulder. "Relax Murray, there's no way she could ever find us out." I hope his confidence doesn't get him killed one day. "Plus, Bentley came up with a foolproof plan so there's no way we'll fail."

"I don't think that this is the best place to discuss this." Bentley said which caused them to quiet down. "We'll talk about this in fuller detail tonight before we go to bed."

Sly just nodded at him with a smile. "Sounds like a plan Bentley."

Seeing nothing else for now, I turned off the monitors and I left the room. I'll return here tonight to make sure everything goes according to canon.

There are a few things in canon that I think I may change when the time comes. Since this isn't a video game but an actual universe, I've come to the conclusion that I can't expect everything to go the way I think it will.

I also have the Slender Man to worry about and some crap is probably going to happen with that which will affect things.

While I wait for tonight, I think I'm going to go listen to some music. I came up with the idea to start singing and to try to mimic to the voices of different singers to improve my _"__**Impersonation**__"_ ability.

In the past, I've listened to audio files or other peoples' voices in public, but I think this method will work better since I've noticed people try harder when they sing, myself included.

I haven't attempted to transform into anyone else yet and have only stuck to my wolf form. Once I have the voices down is when I'll try that.

In my search through the internet, I've found that while some parallels do exist between this universe and mine that not everything is the same. One of the worst things I saw is that a number of my favorite bands and musicians don't exist here.

Seeing this, I hatched an idea. When I become better at mimicking voices, I'm going to introduce some of their music to this world. I think I'll leave The Beatles alone until I see what they're like here. I remembered that there was a Beatles parody in the third game. Hopefully they're good and if they're terrible I might pay them a visit.

I actually wonder if they'll follow the same path The Beatles did and split up.

Oh well, no use thinking about it right now.

I went to my room and I started playing "The Dark Side of the Moon" Pink Floyd album on my iPhone. I'm glad my phone still works here and that I found a way to charge it. Pink Floyd is my favorite band and I find it comforting to have a piece of home.

9 hours later…

The alarm in my monitor room went off again and I turned off the music on my phone. When I got down there, I turned on my monitors again and I saw Sly, Bentley and Murray working on their plan.

Behind them, there was a large piece of paper that was covered in childish drawings. They showed Sly hiding in a garbage bin and then pushing a couch over to reach the cookies which rested on top of Ms. Puffin's bookshelf. At the top of the paper, it read "Cooky-Steelin Plan by Bentley."

"So Bentley, what's the plan?" Sly asked.

Bentley adjusted his glasses. "Well guys, the plan seems a bit complicated, but with the right coordination we should be able pull it off." He pulled out another sheet of paper and rolled it open. "From the information we've gathered, it seems that every night when Ms. Puffin retires there is a five minute window before the janitor starts his rounds."

"That sounds great, but how is Sly gonna get in there?" Murray spoke up with a mouthful of crayons.

Bentley looked sure of himself. "Ms. Puffin will eventually have to leave her office to take care of other things."

"And when she walks out, I sneak in." Sly interrupted.

"Affirmative," Bentley confirmed. "The problem is that she'll eventually come back so you'll need to find a hiding place until her shift ends." It's funny how Bentley doesn't seem that different from the first game.

Sly beamed as he got an idea. "How about the waste basket next to her desk? It's big enough for me to hide in and no one would notice me there."

Bentley rubbed his chin and then smiled. "Yes, I do believe that could work. Now, once she's left you should be able to use the room's furniture to climb up and reach the cookies."

Sly nodded. "Gotcha Bentley."

"From there, you should be able to swipe the cookies." Bentley continued. He then drew a line using one of the crayons to a drawing of himself and Murray. "Murray and I will be waiting outside her office in the getaway wagon. We'll make sure to stay in contact using my most ingenious invention yet, the "Cupunicator."

Murray started to get excited. "And you can count on my Sly." There's that enthusiasm. "Just grab the cookies and meet us outside. We'll handle the rest."

"You got it Murray." Sly said.

Bentley spoke up. "We'll commence the plan on the night of the 15th." He adjusted his glasses. "Until then, we'll make sure we're completely prepared for this."

The other two agreed to the plan and it wasn't much longer before they all went to bed. I decided to turn off the monitors and get myself something to eat.

I ended up eating a plate of breaded chicken. As I ate, I contemplated the situation and hoped that everything would go as it should. If something screws this up, then the Cooper Gang might not possibly form.

I'm definitely going to feel better when this is finished.

3 days later…

===March 15th===

Rather than sitting in my monitor room, I was now outside viewing the orphanage from a distance with my Binocucom. I wanted to make sure I had some pictures of this. I never played _Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time_, but I did watch videos of it on Youtube and I remember that Sly actually has a picture in his possession from this night.

I don't think he could've had access to a camera or told anyone else about his gang's plan so I guess I'm where he eventually gets it from.

From this distance, I could see Murray sitting on a tricycle plastic tricycle with Bentley sitting in the wagon behind him. The red wagon had been given a paint job to match the colors of the Cooper Van and flames were painted on the tricycle.

Bentley had his ingenious "Cupunicator" in his hand and a string ran from the bottom of it through the window to Ms. Puffin's office. I saw that the window was being pushed open and Sly appeared with the other end of the "Cupunicator" in his hand.

Within the next couple of minutes, I saw that Murray was starting to panic and I could see Bentley shouting into his end of the device.

Murray soon started pedaling as fast as he could away from the window and Bentley hung on so he wouldn't fall off. Sly wasn't very far behind them as he was pulled through the air by Murray's tricycle from holding onto the line.

As they sped off, Murray came to the realization that there were no breaks on the tricycle and he didn't know how to stop. He lost control and all three of them crashed.

The three of them sat there trying to recover from their dizziness. Murray and Bentley became upset at the turn of events, but Sly took off his hat and revealed the stolen cookies inside. They all snacked on the tasty treats and they had a good night.

I made sure to take plenty of pictures of the whole thing or at least the parts I could see. I was also glad everything went to plan or at least close enough and nothing major got screwed up.

I wish I had friends like that when I was younger. I wonder what it was like for them to have gone through all of this.

Why don't we take a look.

The Gang

5 minutes earlier…

"Bentley, you there? Come in!" Sly said from the waste basket.

He lifted the top of the trash can off and he brushed off some of the trash that was on him. Sly pulled his half of the "Cupunicator" up to his mouth. "Bentley, this is Sly! Do you read me? I'm in position!"

Sly climbed out of the waste basket and he opened the nearby window where he saw Bentley and Murray waiting for him outside.

Bentley was holding the other end. "Excellent! My ingenious Cupunicator is flawless." Bentley was ecstatic. "As long as you hold on to your end, we'll be in constant contact…and with my advice, you can't fail." That seems a little too confident.

"Begin Operation: Cookie Connection!"

Sly wrapped his end of the line around his waist and he left the window open as he pushed different pieces of furniture around the room. He pushed Ms. Puffin's desk back towards the wall and a tall lamp in between it and the book shelf.

He pulled the cup back up. "Ok, Bentley. Everything's ready." He certainly seemed sure of himself.

Bentley suddenly grew very nervous. "You don't have the cookies yet? We're out of time!" He started to panic. "We have to scrub the mission!"

Sly, being who he is, put the cup away and he jumped onto Ms. Puffin's desk. He ran to the edge of it and he jumped off and grabbed the lamp's light switch. Using the switch, he quickly pulled himself upwards and was able to grasp the top of the book shelf with his left hand.

He spoke into the cup with his right hand. "Okay! I'm in position, sort of…" He started to get uncomfortable. "Y'know…this is pretty high up…"

Outside, Murray started to chew on his finger nails and began to wonder whether they would ever taste their chocolate chip treats again.

Bentley started shouting into the cup. "Sly, we're out of time! Get out while the getting's good!"

Back inside, Sly slowly pulled himself upwards. "Almost there…"

He pulled off his hat and wiped his forehead once he was secure. "Uhh…is that you guys I hear in the hall? He asked confused. "I thought you were going to wait outside!"

Bentley's panicked voice came through from the other end. "What do you mean? We are outside!"

"Uh oh…then that must be the janitor at the door…" Bentley said.

Murray put on his brave face. "That's it! I'm pulling the plug on this myself. Hang on, Sly!"

Sly suddenly noticed a pull on the line. "Huh?"

"Whoah!" He yelled as he found himself being pulled outside through the air.

Murray steered around the side of the building as Bentley and Murray desperately hung on.

"B-Bentley, where are the brakes on this thing?" Murray asked nervously.

The answer he got was not one he wanted to hear. "Th-that was my project for next week, I'm afraid…"

"Yoiks!"

Murray soon lost control of the tricycle and the three of them crashed. The two of them both recovered before Sly did and they stood there as Sly rubbed his head.

"Sorry, guys…" said Murray with an apologetic look on his face.

Sly was still feeling pretty dizzy, but was able to respond. "Y'know, we're all pretty lucky…"

"After that disaster? What you do mean?" Bentley asked in a confused voice.

Sly then let a large smile spread across his face and he pulled off his cap to reveal the cookies inside. "…Lucky I inherited my dad's fast fingers. Dig in, fellas!"

"Hooray!"

They soon partook of the treats and with a grin Sly said, "No cookie jar is going to keep me out!"

With that all taken care of, it's time to head back to the present.

Isaac

I'll take a look at these pictures later, but for now I'm going to head back home. I chose to walk home rather than teleport because it was a nice night out.

I didn't get very far before I felt that something was off.

Everything around me started to distort and looked as if there was two of them. This effect lasted for a few seconds before it went away, but I was pretty sure something was lurking around now. I just didn't know what it was.

Hopefully whatever it is doesn't go after anyone else and just targets me. I don't want other people getting killed over this crap.

"_Do you…"_

I suddenly found myself transported out of town and I was now standing in the countryside. I looked around and I couldn't see the town or any other buildings nearby so that brought me some comfort.

I heard thunder go off and when I tilted my head upwards I saw clouds beginning to form in an otherwise clear night sky.

Sensing what was coming, I turned back to my human form and funny enough I was wearing my Keats outfit.

Well, it certainly fits the situation.

It started to rain and I jumped back to avoid it the best as I could. One of the drops landed on the back of my right hand. The drop was an ink black in color and it was kind of gooey.

What freaked me out was that the drop started to move on its own. I quickly shook my hand and the little thing was flung from my hand onto the grass below.

The rain came to a stop and the sky cleared, but I knew that it wouldn't be over that easily. My suspicions were soon confirmed when I saw movement in the grass and all of the little drops started to come together.

Once they finished combining, a large black mass stood before me. It didn't have eyes or a mouth from what I could see, but even with that being the case I soon came to recognize this thing.

_It's a slime._

I have played way too many RPGs not to recognize this thing. From what I can recall, these creatures were typically some of the weaker ones and appeared in the earlier parts of different games.

I hope that stays true right now.

I stepped back a little to put some distance between us and I pulled my lighter out. Physical attacks aren't going to do any damage to this thing so I'll have to rely on my fire.

The slime charged me without any warning and I quickly jumped out of the way. I didn't expect the damn thing to be that fast.

I shot four tendrils out of my back and I rose into the air above the slime.

_Fighting from this position should make things easier._

The slime turned around and a mouth formed on it. It spit out a stream of toxic green acid at me and I narrowly managed to avoid it. I looked at where it landed and saw the grass disappear instantly as the acid sizzled.

_Or not._

I dodged a few more shots and I moved in with my lighter. I formed a ring of fire around the slime and I closed it which caused a small explosion. It shrieked in pain and seeing that it was working I didn't let up.

I got closer and I pulled the lighter in front of my mouth. Since I learned how to create the ring, I figured that this shouldn't be that difficult in comparison. I opened my mouth and let out a stream of fire like a flamethrower which burned that thing to death until the shrieking ceased.

I reached up and rubbed my forehead. "For my first fight, that wasn't too bad."

"_I've finished your little test." I said feeling proud of myself. "Can you send me home now?"_

_I waited a moment, but didn't hear anything. "Can you hear me?" No response._

"_He usually answers." I thought as I scratched my head._

As I stood there, I heard movement behind me and I turned to see that there were now 3 more slimes waiting for me.

Two of them charged me while the last one stayed where it was and shot projectiles at me. I evaded them and I shot a fireball which collided with the acid and caused a burst. The three of them were now all on different sides.

To counter this, I created a ring around myself this time to ensure they didn't get close.

It turns out it wouldn't deter them as they came at me once again. The two slimes rushed through the flames and they tried to latch onto me. They missed, but one of them managed to slightly touch my leg and burn off some of the cloth. Luckily, it didn't get to my skin.

The voice had told me once before that eventually stuff like that wouldn't hurt me, but he never said how far off that would be and I'm not going to test it to see if he was right or not.

I created a large fireball and I hurled it at one of them when its back was turned. It made contact and the slime was destroyed.

The other two, seeing this, let out a shriek like the first one did which caused me to rub my ears.

I suddenly felt a massive pressure like a weight was pushing down on me and I started to feel a little dizzy.

Shaking my head, I was able to see clearly again and I now saw another 8 slimes appear. I'm guessing that shrieking summons more of them. I just thought that they were doing it out of pain, but I suppose that's not the case. At this rate, I'm going to get my ass killed.

I increased the size of the ring and I felt a slight ache pass through my head. Just like exercising, if I pushed myself too hard or too much then I'm going to wear myself out.

Rather than charge at me, the ten slimes all combined together and they formed one massive slime which looked to be twice as tall as I am.

"_I think now would be a good time to pull me out of here." I did not want to die here. I also wasn't stupid enough to think I could take this thing on. _

There was still no answer from him which alarmed me a bit. I remember him telling me around 3 months back that I would be annihilated if I went up against anything aside from regular people.

Seeing he was unavailable, I tried to make a run for it, but I was rammed from the side and I skid across the grass on my back. My ring of fire disappeared right after it hit me.

_I think I bruised a rib._

The slime loomed over me and a massive arm and fist appeared from its side. It slowly raised the fist and held it there for only a few seconds before sending it rushing towards me.

I was able to roll out of the way in the nick of time and I was glad for that as that hit would've killed me. The impact shattered the ground and lifted pieces of earth upwards.

I pushed myself up and I started thinking of a way to beat this thing. I clearly wasn't going to get any help and if I didn't act soon I would die.

A few minutes earlier, I killed one slime by closing a ring of fire on it so they might work again. I just have to create a bigger one somehow and avoid getting knocked around.

I grabbed ahold of my lighter and the air began to ripple around us. My headache slowly grew worse and I carefully watched the slime as the wall grew higher.

It lifted its fist to its side and it turned towards me. It simply stood there before charging at me at inhuman speeds. I was more prepared this time and was able to use some of my tendrils as a shield. I went flying back and when I landed I slid on my feet a short distance. That hurt me a little bit, but I'm not damaged as much if my tendrils are attacked.

I kept this pattern going for a bit and I ended up summoning the other four tendrils for additional support. The wall of fire was now 15 feet high and it was burning strong. Now that I think about it, I wonder if there's a way to increase the heat intensity of the flames. I guess that'll be something for later if I survive.

The slime switched tactics and instead of a stream it created a shower of acid. I was getting tired and my movements were a little slower so a few of the drops landed on me. Thankfully, they didn't do too much damage.

Using this as a distraction, the slime shot a piece of itself at me and a large glob slammed into me and knocked me on my back. The rest of it soon followed and it picked me up and started to absorb me into itself.

The pain was intense and I wasn't going to last much longer. It looks like it's time to play my trump card.

Before I completely sank into it, I pulled the wall of fire inwards and it consumed the two of us. There was a massive explosion as a result of this and the slime was quickly destroyed before it could call anymore of its friends.

I hit the ground and I just lied there flat on my back. My clothes were smoking and I had varying degrees of burns covering my body. Luckily, the slime absorbed most of the blast so I came out alive.

I don't think I was going to stay that way much longer though. I was bleeding a bit and I really needed to get to a hospital and get some medical attention.

That heavy feeling from earlier returned and I could feel a pressure pushing down onto me. I coughed up a bit of blood before I blacked out and the last thing I remember seeing was some kind of blue light and two dark figures standing within it.

?

"What exactly were you thinking?" The larger figure asked in a calm voice. He was holding himself back and it was clear that he was furious about something.

The smaller figure gulped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any harm. I was just trying to find my way back home."

"And you thought that crossing over here would get you home?" The larger figure clearly thought the smaller one was an idiot.

The smaller grew more nervous. "I got lost and when I was searching I noticed something that caught my attention. I was only curious."

"Well, there is a human saying I find to be particularly interesting." The larger figure said. "That would be "curiosity killed the cat" and in this case if he dies, so do you."

"I didn't think anyone would be harmed." The smaller figure spoke apologetically.

The larger figure let out a sigh. "Anyone with a brain knows that normal beings cannot survive here and that there exist those who would do others harm."

"Please don't kill me!" The smaller figure begged.

"I won't do anything for now as he needs to be treated, but don't think there won't be consequences for your actions." The larger warned. "Whatever your intentions were, it is still your fault that this happened."

"Thank you sir!" The smaller said with relief.

"Don't thank me yet." The larger told him. "We need to move him now."

"Yes sir."

Isaac

I woke up in pain, but not as much as I would've thought. I was lying in my bed and there was a heart monitor next to me which beeped every few seconds. I had an IV going into my right arm and there was a bag of some sort of liquid hanging from a hook at the other end of the tube.

My body was completely wrapped in bandages except for my eyes, nose and mouth. I wonder how much my healing factor will help with this and if I'll get any scarring.

I heard my bedroom door open and my heart rate escalated a little. I took a deep breath and allowed it to drop back down as I was in too bad of a shape to do anything anyways.

"It's good to see you're awake." The person said in a high pitched voice.

I carefully turned my head and I saw a tiny figure that was maybe 3 feet tall carrying a tray of food for me. The tray contained a steaming bowl of soup and a glass of orange juice.

The little creature's appearance reminded me of a goblin's, but that didn't seem accurate. Its body was covered in dark gray fur and it had two golden eyes. It had a pair of bat-like wings sticking out of its back and it possessed a pointed tail. It only had a small bump for a noise with two little holes. Both of its ears were floppy and hung down on the sides of its head.

It wore a shirt that looked to be made of two different materials. The torso was made using brown leather that had lost some of its luster. The sleeves looked to be made of cotton and they were a medium gray which stretched just past his elbows. On his lower half, he wore a pair of gray pants that were slightly weathered and a pair of brown leather shoes. To finish his attire, a small pot sat on top of his head.

_I think I recognize that thing from my books._

"How long have I been out?" Man am I parched.

"You've been out for three days." I guess that's to be expected. "It's strange that you're not bothered by my appearance. You humans tend to freak out over the smallest of things."

I let out a tired laugh. "Well, I'm being hunted by a being I thought was fictional, I was transported to a world I thought was just a game and I have all sorts of powers and just fought and won against a slime monster." It's funny saying all of that out loud. "Nothing is really strange to me anymore and if I use that word it's only out of habit at this point."

"Fair enough."

He brought the tray over to me and set it on my bedside table. Now that he was closer, I was sure I knew what he was.

"You wouldn't happen to be a puca would you?" I asked seeking confirmation.

"Yes I am." He confirmed. "Not many humans know of us nowadays. The vast majority simply knows about more common or popular creatures like dragons and giants."

"Shouldn't you be in Ireland?" In the book I read, it said they were from Irish folklore.

"Just because we're normally from Ireland doesn't mean we have to stay there." He huffed in annoyance. "We're able to travel to many different places, but we mainly prefer areas throughout Europe."

I raised my hand in a placating gesture. "There's no need to get upset. I was just asking." I can't just keep calling him he. "Do you have a name?"

He quickly calmed down. "You can call me Davin." I honestly thought his name would be stranger what with being a creature of folklore.

"I'm guessing you're the one who brought me here?" I inquired.

Davin looked slightly nervous. "Yes, I had some help in getting you here, but I did most of the work." Why don't I believe you.

I'll just let it slide. "All right." I need to know something. "Did you happen to see a blue light of any kind? I thought I did before I black out."

"I didn't notice anything." He said way too quickly. With how everything has gone, I'm not going to get any answers. I bet if people gave me some answers all of this would be a lot easier to handle.

I guess I'll just lie here until I get better.

"Thank you Davin for keeping me alive." I spoke with gratitude.

He smiled at that. "It wasn't any trouble. I brought you something to eat by the way."

"I can see that."

I mustered some strength and I was able to grab the tray and pull it onto my lap. I took a spoon and tasted the soup. My taste buds started dancing. That is probably the best soup I've ever had. It didn't take me very long to finish it and I downed the orange juice soon afterwards.

"What are you going to do once I'm healed?" I asked trying to continue our conversation.

Davin took the tray from me and set it aside. "I'm going to stay here. The person who helped me bring you here hired me to act as an assistant."

"Can you tell me who that person was?" I might as well try.

Davin stared at the floor and in a quiet voice said, "He told me not to tell you."

Of course he did. "I'm sure I'll find out eventually. So, how much longer will I need to heal?"

"It should only take a few more days. While you're healing, you shouldn't try to move around too much." He informed me.

"All right. I suppose I'll just lie here for now."

Davin grabbed the tray and he left the room.

"_I wonder where the hell the voice is at."_


	10. Chapter 10: Moonlight Murders Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 10: Moonlight Murders Part 1—Back to London

Over the next few days, I continued to read up on various creatures of folklore. As I was still healing, there wasn't much else to do anyways. Having Davin as an assistant caused me to look back through my books and I eventually found the page that described his people.

**Puca**

This creature is normally found in Irish folklore, but it does have counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of the Northwestern part of Europe.

There are varied depictions of the puca. Some regard them as being evil creatures who would do harm to unwary travelers and sometimes even go as far as being blood-thirsty and feasting on the flesh of man. Others, however, regard them in a more positive light and show them as being helpful to man, especially farmers.

According to legend, they are able to shapeshift into a variety of forms. Some of these forms include a rabbit, goat, goblin or dog, but the most common form it takes is that of a sleek black horse with a flowing mane and luminescent golden eyes.

If a man were to climb onto its back in this form, he would be taken for a wild ride, but ultimately do no harm.

Puca are also known as great chefs.

_It didn't take me long to figure that out._

The puca possess the power of human speech and have been known to steer people away from danger and give good advice. The puca also enjoy confusing and often times scaring humans, but it is considered to be benevolent.

Unlike Davin, I was unable to find any information on the slime monster that attacked me. In response, I had Davin take a record of everything I remembered from the fight along with a few other details concerning things such as the book and events of the series. Later, I planned to get on my computer and study up on these things more so as to be better prepared.

When I inquired of the accuracy of the book, Davin explained to me that it got some things right, but not everything.

For instance, he told me that no puca feasts on the flesh of man and while his kind do like to mess with people occasionally they wouldn't look to bring harm upon them. However, there are some that can be meaner than the others.

The part about steering people away from danger is true to an extent. If one of his people happened to be nearby, they would try to keep them from danger depending on the nature of the human and the threat.

What one perceives as a threat another may not.

His kind is capable of transforming into the book's listed forms, but they are not limited to only those ones. They can shift into the form of birds, cats and many other creatures. They are also able to change their size which answers my question as to how Davin was able to prepare my meals. Normally, he would be too short to reach the countertop.

There is a limit as to how tall they can get. Davin said that depending on how skilled one was that they could get up to my height if needed, but that they could never turn into something as big as a dragon.

_I wonder if I could do that with enough experience._

Satisfied with his explanation, I lied back and continued to look at other things.

The voice had eventually responded to my calls and I asked him where he was as I tried to stay calm and keep my anger in check.

All he told me was that that wasn't supposed to have happened and that the problem has been taken care of. He further explained that it was intended for me to fight against different creatures as a part of my training, but that it was meant for later.

Seeing that I survived, the voice said that I would start that portion earlier, but that it would be against weaker creatures than the slime monster to start off with.

My benefactors couldn't risk having me killed.

The 3 days flew by in a blur. It was a simple cycle of reading, sleeping and Davin bringing my meals at regular intervals. My IV had been removed a little while ago and the heart monitor had vanished.

I was glad to finally get my bandages off as they were starting to itch. With the okay from the voice, I carefully unwrapped my head and what I saw in the mirror wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

My skin was of a darker complexion and I saw a few pieces of dead skin but otherwise I looked to be completely fine.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I was worried about the rest of my body, but my face was the main concern. Even if my face had been messed up I could just transform but it just wouldn't feel the same.

I walked into my bathroom, making sure to shut the door behind me, and I carefully took off the rest of my bandages.

What I saw seemed strange to me at first, but it wasn't because I was scarred or anything like that. It was because I actually looked pretty good with a tan and I never would've figured myself to be one of those people.

Back in the states, I remembered seeing some people who oranged rather than tanned and they reminded me of Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka.

I discarded the bandages into the trash and I took a nice, long shower.

Afterwards, I threw on a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt along with my grey tennis shoes and my Donegal.

Not knowing what to tackle first, I called on Davin who quickly ran up the stairs and appeared before me awaiting orders.

"Yes sir?"

I let out a different sigh this time. During the course of my recovery, Davin kept referring to me as sir like I'm some sort of Drill Sergeant or something. It's gotten a little tiring. "Davin, please stop calling me 'sir.' Just call me Isaac. It will make things easy for everyone." I tried explaining to him for like the fifth time.

He's also too quick to apologize. "I'm sorry sir. I mean Isaac." He hastily corrected. "I'm just not used to interacting with someone so casually."

"It's fine Davin." I said slowly in mild annoyance. "I'm not going to expect you to pick everything up instantly. What with you lacking experience in dealing with people, it would be stupid of me to think otherwise." He's been very helpful, but he worries too damn much.

"Moving on, I'd like you to read back to me all of the things I need to take care of." With all of the crap that's been going on, it can sometimes get difficult to remember everything.

"Well, first off you can practice your different abilities."

"Pass." I just recovered. I'm not looking to wear myself out again.

"You can try reading up on that book you found in London."

"Pass." I'm shooting in the dark on this one. Every key I've tried has failed to work and I haven't been able to find any information on it anywhere.

"You can check up on Carmelita or her dad."

"Huh." That last one doesn't sound too bad. I actually have a list of characters from the series that I want to keep an eye on. I wasn't going to do anything at first, but thinking back to how Sly almost died when he wasn't supposed to I changed my mind.

I don't know if anything will happen to her, but something had to have happened to influence her decision in becoming a cop and not knowing what that was bothers me. It gives me the idea that something terrible might happen.

"I think I'll pick door number three Davin." We have a winner.

Davin just scratched his head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Ugh." I hung me head. "I mean I think I'll check things out in London and make sure everything is in order."

"Oh, okay." He said in understanding.

"And you're coming with me." I quickly added.

"What? Why!?" He was certainly caught off-guard by that.

"While I think I can do fine on my own and I have the voice with me, I feel that having another set of eyes would be of great help and make it easier to see if anything is amiss." That is only partially true. The other reason is that I don't want anyone to see him by accident and bug me about it. "Plus every Sherlock needs a Watson."

"Who are Sherlock and Watson?"

"I keep forgetting you don't know any of this stuff." Hopefully I have a positive impact on him. I don't want Davin or anyone else I run into to pick up any of the stupid crap from back home. "Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Watson is his friend and sidekick."

"All right."

"Are you able to disguise yourself as an object?" I asked. "Because I'll probably end up going into some businesses and they might not allow any animals inside."

"That's weird. There are already a bunch of animals running around the places outside." I let out a tiny laugh. Davin can also be a bit innocent and ignorant of things. Actually, now that I think about it, he acts a lot like a kid would and only shows small traces of maturity.

"Davin, how old are you anyway?"

"I'm 6 years old." He told me with a large smile showing his pointy teeth.

"_WHAT?!"_

I really hope I misheard that. "Do you think you could repeat that for me?"

"Sure. I'm 6 years old." He said once again proud of himself.

Now I feel very uncomfortable. "Uh Davin, shouldn't you be with your parents? I would think they'd be looking for you."

He looked down at the floor with a sad face. "I don't know where they are."

"Do you know how to get home? And how did you get separated from them?"

In a quiet voice, he spoke, "I was outside playing near the forest by my house. When I was about to go back home I saw a creature that I had never seen before and ran after it. I followed it through the forest, but I lost track of it and tried to find my way back."

I took on a sympathetic look. "You then became lost and eventually ran across my burned body." I figured that is what most likely happened.

He nodded his head.

I dragged my hand down my face. "You said that someone helped you bring me here. Why didn't he take you home?"

Davin trembled a little bit. "He told me I had to take punishment for my actions. I can't tell you anything else."

I was starting to get pissed. "Why can't you tell me anything else?" I asked in a soft, quiet voice.

He looked up at me and my heart broke. "He said…he'd…kill me *sniff* if I said…anything else."

_It looks like I'm gonna have to break my foot off in someone's ass._

I picked Davin up and let him cry into my shoulder. I felt his small arms wrap around my neck.

_I had no fricking clue he was only 6 years old. From what I've read, puca are small creatures so I didn't think much of it. Now I have yet another child to watch after. Oh well._

I patted him on the back. "It's all right. Everything is going to be fine. I'll make sure of it."

_Even though he has some goblin-like features, he's still a good kid and not hideous._

This lasted for about 10 minutes before he ran out of tears.

"What's going to happen now?" He asked with his head still on my shoulder.

I did want to be a dad, but I didn't think it would happen this early. "Looking at the circumstances, you are now going to be in my care. You will no longer be my assistant, but rather my helper. How does that sound?"

He brought his head back and looked at me.

_Awww._

"Does that mean I'm going to stay here?" He asked in a hopeful voice.

I just gave him a warm smile. "You bet it does."

Davin reached forward and he gave my neck another hug.

"How about we go get ourselves a treat? Do you like candy?"

He pulled back again and looked at me curiously. "What's candy?"

A kid that hasn't heard of candy, I never would've expected this. "Oh ho! You're going to be in for a sweet surprise." I told him with a huge grin. "Candy is like a gift from the heavens and it's really good."

"Can we get some now?" He certainly got excited fast.

I set him down. "Yes, but first you'll need to transform. Rather than an object, do you think you can transform into a smaller version of this?"

I slowly shifted into my wolf form to show him what it looked like.

"I've never done it before, but I think so." He said a little unsure of himself.

It took him a few tries, but he was finally able to get the hang of it and he looked exactly like a younger me.

He was a gray wolf around the height of 3'6". He had blue eyes and about my same exact color scheme. Being a puca, his fur was a little bit darker than mine, but not by too much. His body shape was also average for his age.

He also wore the same clothing I was wearing now except smaller. Davin was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a black shirt and gray tennis shoes. The pot on his head had turned into a matching Donegal.

"Very good." I congratulated. "And after we do that we can go get you some clothes and head off to London." I need to do that soon so I don't forget.

I looked over at the clock and saw that it was 10AM.

"Let's go."

The two of us walked down the stairs and out the door with me locking it behind us. We walked down the street towards the sweet shop and we got there in about 5 minutes.

The building was made of your standard red brick and there were two glass windows on both sides of the front wooden door which had been painted white. There were a few candy machines in front of the store which you could put a nickel into. Over the door, there was a sign that read "Charles' Sweets."

The two of us stepped inside and I heard a gasp.

Davin's eyes grew huge as he stared at everything. There were giant lollypops, taffy, jawbreakers and all sorts of other things. We had actually passed a taffy machine when we entered which was sitting in one of the windows.

The place was pretty huge. There were aisles of candy and other sweets down the middle while on the walls to my left there were drawers and bags available for scooping. On my right, there was a counter which had a broad selection of cake and other pastries behind it. Farther down, the counter top changed from black to white and that marked the area where they sold smoothies and ice cream. This place was a kid's paradise. I wished I had a place like this as a kid.

_Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination._

"Exciting isn't it?" I asked with a smile.

He looked up at me and appeared confused. "I don't know what to get."

That's so funny. "Don't worry. I've been eating candy for years. I'll show you around."

From there, we spent at least half an hour walking through all of the aisles looking at the different kinds of candy. I basically ended up getting him a starter pack. I got him a sucker, a jawbreaker, jelly beans, gummy worms and a little of each of the main candies.

Once we were done, we headed for the check out.

"Davin?"

"Yes Isaac?"

I'm glad I remembered this. "Whenever you address me in public or mention my name to someone, always make sure to call me Victor."

He became confused. "Why's that?"

"It's because I don't want others to know my real name for safety reasons." I told him.

He was still confused. "I'll do it, but I don't get it."

I wonder if they have stories where he's from. "I'll explain it more later."

"Okay."

At the counter, we were met by the owner and manager of the store which was Charles himself.

Something I found to be funny was how the first time I came here I thought that I had run into Donkey Kong. Charles has reddish-brown fur except for around his face, ears, hands and the front of his torso which is a beige color. This guy is at least 7 feet tall and he is all muscle. He has brown eyes and aside from having a slightly flatter head looks very close to DK.

He is wearing a pair of black pants and a white shirt with a dark blue apron going around the front. He also has on a pair of black work shoes and has an English accent.

He greeted us with a smile. "Hello Victor, have you come to close down my business."

"Not today, I'm a bit busy." I joked back.

_I wonder if he has a banana hoard in the back._

"So, did you find everything all right?"

"It took a little bit. I had to educate my nephew in the ways of candy." I replied with a smile.

Charles looked over the counter and saw Davin carrying his treats.

"Hello there, have you ever had candy before?" Charles inquired.

"No sir, I've never even heard of it before."

This gave Charles a surprise. "I could understand having never tried it, but hearing about it is an entirely different matter."

I decided to step in. "His mom liked to shelter him and since he's staying with me for the time being I aimed to fix that. Every kid should eat candy at least once."

"Truer words were never spoken." Charles agreed.

I took the candy from Davin and I placed them on the counter.

While Charles was ringing up our purchase, my eyes scanned the wall behind him and I saw an English newspaper sitting on a table behind him. I couldn't see all of the details, but I could make out the words "**Another Girl Found Dead**."

That set off some alarms. "Hey Charles, do you think you can hand me that newspaper?"

"Sure." He was a little confused but he handed me the paper anyway.

**The English Times**

Friday, March 15, ****

**Another Girl Found Dead**

Early this morning, at around 2AM, the body of Alice Burgette, age 9, was found in an alleyway over in the White Chapel area. With this new victim, the total count has been brought up to 12.

These murders initially started back in August of last year when the body of Lucy Bellerose, age 8, was found a short distance away from the current murder in the same area.

The police have refused to give any reports or details on the case, but what we know is that the killer only seems to target young girls. At each crime scene, the body has been found with a slash across the neck which severed the arteries and abdominal and genital-area mutilation. Each murder has been noted to have occurred sometime between 10PM and 3AM.

_I think I've read enough._

I handed the paper back to Charles.

"Do you have any family or friends in London?" He asked me snapping out of my thoughts.

"It's something like that." I simply replied.

I paid for the candy and Davin and I headed for the door.

"See you later, Donkey Kong!" I called as we walked outside.

I took the candy from Davin and made it disappear.

"It looks like we're going to have to go clothes shopping later." With Carmelita being either 11 or 12 right now, I couldn't afford to just stand around here. I don't know if she's in London, but I remember her dad saying that he was working on an important case back in December and that worries me. "We're heading to London now."

"Why?" Davin asked looking up at me.

"There are some people I need to see in London to make sure they're all right." I explained to him. I then gave him a warning. "When we get there, I want you to keep your eyes open for anything suspicious and I want you to stay near me at all times."

"Okay."

"Good."

The two of us walked back home and we went inside to my bedroom. I didn't want to attract attention by vanishing outside.

"_Are the two of you ready to go?" asked the voice._

"_I believe so." I then remembered what happened last time. "Don't teleport me somewhere where I'll get into an argument this time. Send me to Garn's Books. Going by what happened last time, I don't think he'd be bothered by me suddenly showing up."_

"_You got it." The voice had been a little nicer since I almost died._

I soon felt a lifting sensation and Davin and I found ourselves standing in front of the store's front door. Luckily, there was no one around to see us. I took him by the hand and we stepped inside.

Walking through the door, we were immediately hit by the smell of old books. I took in a deep breath and exhaled.

There was something else there, but it was subtle.

I then heard movement towards the back of the store and I saw Garn step out with a tray in his arms. The tray had a teapot and two cups along with a glass of orange juice. He walked over to us and set the tray on a nearby table.

"You were expecting us weren't you?" I gave him a knowing smile.

He kept his composure and with a straight face replied, "I'm always expecting customers. I just thought a cup of tea would be relaxing and that others would enjoy one as well what with the tense atmosphere outside." He betrayed no emotion.

"I'm sure that's true." If this had been our first meeting, I might have fallen for it.

I took one of the cups and smelled the aroma lifting from it.

_Earl Grey._

We all sat down and I handed Davin his glass of orange juice while Garn took his own cup. It was silent for a moment before I approached the subject.

"That tense atmosphere is actually why I'm here."

Garn set his cup down and thoughtfully rubbed his beak. "I would have thought you would be here for the puca you have with you, but I suppose that's fine." He paused. "How did one end up in your care?"

In a slightly depressed voice, I responded, "The kid got lost and ended up doing something that he won't tell me about. As a punishment, someone whose identity I'm unaware of has made him my assistant and threatened to kill him if he told me anything."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He sympathized.

I just waved it off. "I'll make sure to watch him, but there's a dangerous situation that must be addressed." I added with seriousness.

He already knew what I was thinking. "You're referring to the murders aren't you?"

"Yes. I recently learned of them only a few minutes ago and there are some people living around the area whose wellbeing I fear for." Hopefully she isn't here. "Have you seen any suspicious characters lurking around lately?"

Garn looked up and tried to recall if he had. "I haven't really noticed anyone that caught my attention, but then again there are a lot of suspicious people throughout the city."

_Dammit._

"Have the police or any Inspectors swung by recently?"

He nodded his head. "There have been a few around questioning people and I actually spoke with Inspector Fox a few days ago. He just asked me the expected questions like if I saw anyone committing foul deeds."

"Would you happen to have seen a little girl near or with him?" I inquired with both hope and nervousness in my voice.

"Not that I can recall. Why?" I would think she'd be in a safe place, but I had to make sure.

I let out a sigh. "That girl is going to fulfill an important role later and I have to make sure she stays alive for it." I don't even want to think of what would happen to Sly if not for Carmelita.

"If it is truly important, then you could go get the information and find the Inspector's address."

I just shook my head. "I can't just waltz in there and ask for it." I couldn't help but feel a little angry. "They'll also think I'm up to something if I try asking about the main detective on the case."

A mischievous smile spread across his beak. "Who said anything about walking in?"

"What do you mean?" I was puzzled.

He let out a small laugh. "What I mean is that your little friend there can just transform and sneak in without arousing anyone's suspicion. He'll be able to get the information and no one will notice a thing."

_That's actually a really good idea._

I looked over at Davin who was just kicking his legs in boredom and began to picture how he could get inside.

"Davin?" He looked at me. "Are you able to shrink yourself down? And if so, how small can you get?" I already have a form in mind.

"I'm able to transform and shrink to the size of a mouse." He stated proudly.

"Excellent." I unintentionally did a Mr. Burns impression. "Well Davin, I'm going to need your help later."

"What for?" I hope that innocence doesn't go away.

"There is some information that I need to obtain, but I can't get to it." I explained to him. "I'm going to need you to turn into a mouse and sneak into the police station."

He seemed a little uncomfortable when I said that. "Isn't that a bad idea?"

"We're not trying to do anything bad." I reassured him. "The information concerns the murders that have been going on around here and the safety of the people."

"You'll be a hero." It's a little mean to manipulate him like that, but I can't shrink down to that size. I could just teleport in, but I don't want to be caught and I don't think my powers will work on everyone in there if such a situation occurred.

"Really?" Davin asked with growing excitement. I could see a spark in his eyes.

"Really."

Garn decided to step in. "I would suggest waiting until it gets dark out. That way you'll be less likely to be noticed."

I nodded my head. "Good idea."

For the rest of the day, Davin and I read through some of the books in the store and walked around outside. He stuck to adventure stories for the younger crowd while I read up some more on folklore.

A few other customers had come to the shop, but it didn't get too busy and when it was time to eat we went out a got something to eat.

All of this went on until about 10PM.

===10 PM===

The two of us were now standing on top of the Interpol station. I made sure we were in a spot where no one could see us.

"Before you go in, I want you to remember that we need Inspector Fox's address and anything you can find on the murders."

"Yes Isaac." Davin responded.

I gave him a pat on the back. "You're a good kid Davin." I told him with a smile. I don't want to do this to him, but it has to be done.

He brightened up a little at that.

Davin shrunk down into the form of a mouse and he scurried off.

Something interesting that I recently discovered is that I can communicate telepathically with others through my influence. I already knew that the Slender Man was capable of mind control, but I didn't and still don't know how it entirely works.

Using this, and with the voice's assistance, I have safely linked myself to Davin and I can now see what he sees.

Davin

After he left Isaac, Davin found an air duct that he could use to get inside and he went in. He ran a little ways before he came to a drop and he deployed his wings to safely fly down.

He landed a short time later and was now in the ventilation tubing.

Davin, using his claws, tore through the material of the tube and stepped out of it into the space above the ceiling. He could see lights below himself through openings in the ceiling and he saw numerous officers milling about.

_Testing. Testing. Can you hear me?_

_Davin jumped when he heard Isaac's voice. "I can hear you."_

_Isaac sighed. "That's good. I wasn't sure if it would work or not."_

"_Where do I go first?" Davin asked._

"_With all of the officers about, I would head towards Inspector Fox's office first. You're less likely to be noticed in there." Isaac calmly explained._

"_How will I know which one it is?"_

"_Don't worry about it. I'll let you know when you've found it." Isaac was trying to make him feel secure._

"_Okay."_

Davin moved along, making as little noise as possible, and he eventually arrived above a very important looking room.

"_This should be the Inspector's office." Isaac confirmed. "And it doesn't look like anyone's home. That's good."_

"_What do I do now?"_

"_Look at the papers on his desk." Isaac said. "There is sure to be something we can use there."_

Davin carefully flew down and landed on the desk. As Isaac thought, the papers contained details concerning the different crime scenes and the prime suspect.

Davin could hear scribbling as he examined the documents.

"_What's that noise?" He asked confused._

"_Don't worry about it. I'm just copying the information." Even if Carmelita wasn't targeted, if she was here, Isaac was still thinking about catching the killer. If this was this universe's version of Jack the Ripper then he was going to nail the bastard. It would also be something interesting to have on his record._

From what is known, the killer apparently leaves no traces of himself behind, but at each crime scene strange markings have been found which were etched into the stone near each victim's body. The police have been unable to figure out what these symbols mean and if they have any relevance to the case or not.

There is also a list of the victims here.

-Lucy Bellerose, Age 8, August 5th, 11 PM

-Elizabeth Clifton, Age 11, August 25th, 12 AM

-Katie Glover, Age 7, September 18th, 12:30 AM

-Hannah Haywood, Age 12, October 7th, 10:30 PM

-Claire Beckett, Age 9, November 3rd, 12: 27 AM

-Julie Daniels, Age 10, November 25th, 1 AM

-Stephanie Larson, Age 11, December 11th, 2 AM

-Amber Marshall, Age 7, December 25th, 1:30 AM

-Claudia Matthews, Age 9, January 17th, 10:57 PM

-Ellie Clarkson, Age 12, February 14th, 12:50 AM

-Olivia Johnson, Age 8, February 28th, 2:30 AM

-Alice Burgette, Age 9, March 15th, 2AM

Next to each victim's name, there was the location where the body was found and the location of the mark. Unfortunately, that is the only thing they found as the police were unable to find any other clues as to who might've done this.

"_Man this is depressing." Isaac sighed. "That looks like everything we'll find on the case here. Try to see if you can find the Inspector's street address."_

Davin was about to look when a shadow was cast into the room. He looked up and he saw silhouettes on the other side of the door through the glass.

"_We can find out where he lives later. Just get out of there." Isaac said with urgency._

Davin, making sure nothing was disturbed, flapped his wings and flew back up into the ceiling just before the door opened.

Inspector Fox stepped through the door and he didn't look very happy. He quickly gathered his police jacket and some of his papers in anger. He was only in there for about a minute before he left again and locked the door behind him.

"_Davin, you need to get back quickly." Isaac nearly shouted. "It looks like he's leaving so we'll trail him to his house and I can hopefully put my fears to rest."_

Davin retraced his steps and after a few minutes was back by Isaac's side.

Isaac

"_I'm going to need a nice, long nap once this is over with." I thought as Davin turned back into Mini-Me. I had already cut the connection with him._

I saw Inspector Fox leave the building and I pulled out my Binocucom and marked him as a mission objective.

Davin and I, with the voice's help, teleported from rooftop to rooftop as we watched the Inspector drive home through the city. He eventually came to a stop in front of a brick two-story house that was in the suburbs. With it being dark out, it was hard to make out the other features.

The Inspector stepped out of his car and entered the house. I saw lights come on inside and I made sure to have my Binocucom out to look through the windows. I could feel my heart starting to beat a little faster when he appeared on the second floor and I saw him walk into one of the rooms by the windows.

_This is it._

I saw a happy look appear on his face as he sat down on the bed and it was only a few seconds before he was hugged by a tiny fox who looked exactly like a younger Carmelita.

_Shit. Now I have to waste the killer. I guess when Ricardo said he was sending his family gifts that he either excluded Carmelita from that or she was already here and was referring to other relatives._

I just shook my head and looked for a street sign.

Their address is 18 Savior Street. I quickly scribbled the information down and took a picture of the house before leaving.

_I need to find out who's making these signs. _

"Let's get out of here." I said to Davin tiredly.

I put away my Binocucom and notes and was about to head back home when Davin suddenly shot up like a rocket.

"Are you all right?" I was worried due to the frightened, unblinking stare he now had.

"Someone is being attacked." He quietly told me.

"Do you know where they are?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, I quickly formed a mental connection as I had done before and I saw what Davin was seeing.

A young cheetah, I'm guessing maybe 8 years old, was sitting on the ground trembling. There was a tall, dark figure hovering over her and he had a knife in his hand that was ready to strike.

I teleported as fast as I could and just before the knife struck its mark I punched that fucker right in the face. I swear that I saw flames explode around my fist right as I did it.

_Falcon Punch!_

That bastard flew back and he smashed into a wall.

I pulled my fist back and I stood there waiting for the dust to settle. A few bricks fell on top of him and it wasn't long before he started to get back up.

I couldn't make out anything on this bastard other than he had purple eyes.

In a high pitched, crazy voice he said, "Mother won't be denied." I don't know entirely what that means, but he's obviously insane.

I instinctually revealed my teeth and growled at him. "Bring it on fruitcake."

I bared my claws and was prepared to waste him right here and now. He pulled out his knife and he was about to lunge at me when he suddenly came to a stop.

"What's that?" He asked out loud.

The psycho put his knife away. "Mother is calling me now. I'll kill you later."

And with that, he ran away around a corner and when I chased after him I saw that he had disappeared.

I let out a sigh. _This is going to be a pain in the ass._

I turned back towards the cheetah and she cowered from me upon my approach.

"It's going to be all right. I'm not going to do anything to you." I offered my hand, but she still backed away.

I stood back up and I rubbed the back of my head. "Do you think you can talk to her Davin?"

"All right." I'm glad he doesn't put up a fuss.

Seeing someone closer to her age calmed her down and she grabbed ahold of Davin and didn't let go. She cried into his shoulder just as he had done before to me for about a minute before she fell asleep.

I took her from Davin and we teleported over to the Interpol station. Once there, I quickly made sure no one was around and I walked up and set her down by the front doors. I pulled my fist back and I loudly banged on the door before Davin and I got the hell out of there.

Back at home, I saw that Davin was starting to fall asleep himself. I took him upstairs and I placed him in one of the guest rooms which was across the hallway from mine.

I then entered my room where I turned back to my human form and went to sleep.

**A/N: I tried typing this chapter a couple of different ways. I made one version where Davin was older and this one where he is a kid. Thinking about it, I chose this option because I felt it would allow for more character and plot development and because there is an idea I'll do later in the story that works a lot better with him being a kid.**

**If you see any mistakes or ways that I can improve, then please leave a review.**


	11. Chapter 11: Moonlight Murders Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 11: Moonlight Murders Part 2—The Twelve Marks

I got up at around 8:30AM the next day and went downstairs to make breakfast. I woke up a few times throughout the night as my mind had been preoccupied with what happened yesterday so I didn't get as much sleep as I wished I had.

In the kitchen, I decided to make the both of us some oatmeal to start off the day. It was only a short time later that Davin came downstairs when he heard my footsteps. Judging by his face, it looked as if he got a much better sleep than I did.

_Not a care in the world._

The oatmeal didn't take very long to prepare and I was soon sitting at the table with a spoon in my hand.

As we ate, my mind continued to play back the events from the other day.

There is a psychopath running around London who is sort of this universe's version of Jack the Ripper. The killer has purple eyes and he killed his victims by slashing their throats. He only targets little girls and he has an obsession with his mother or is completely loyal to her.

_I hope this doesn't turn into Psycho where his mother was dead all along._

He also only targets his victims between the times of 10PM and 3AM when the moon is out.

In the files we read in Inspector Fox's office, it mentioned that strange markings have been found near each of the bodies. The police don't have a clue as to whether or not these symbols mean anything, but looking at the past I bet they do.

I've read too many stories and played too many games to simply push them aside.

Later on, I think we'll head back to London and visit each of the crime scenes starting with the earliest to take a close examination of each mark. There are currently 12 victims so that means that there should be 12 marks in total.

An important detail then popped into my head that I nearly forgot about.

"Davin."

He looked up from his bowl at me. "Yes Isaac?"

"How is it that you were able to tell someone was being attacked and where they were?" If not for him then we would have had another dead body on our hands.

Davin shifted in his seat. "I don't really know how it works, but my parents told me that each of us was born with the ability to sense others."

"That's intriguing." I said as I rubbed my chin.

"I've experienced something like that before, but I think it had more to do with some sort of presence they were giving off rather than me being able to sense them." That's the best conclusion I can come up with since I can never find them yet others always seem to find me.

"Can other people learn this ability?" Having it would prove to be very useful in the long run and it would give me some measure of security. I don't like being snuck up on.

Davin scratched his head in uncertainty. "I'm not sure, but I think you have to be born with it."

_That's unfortunate._

"Oh well." I wouldn't cling to it if there was nothing I could do. "I guess we'll just move onto other things."

"I'm sorry."

I laughed a little. "There's no need to apologize Davin. You didn't do anything wrong and you should only be sorry if something is actually your fault."

"Okay."

We finished eating after a few more minutes and I took our bowls and placed them in the dishwasher to clean later.

"What are we going to do now?" Davin asked catching my attention.

"We didn't go clothes shopping the other day so I think we'll take care of that first."

"Why didn't we get clothes when we were in London?" That's an understandable question.

"The reason why is because I'm friends with Sylvia who is the woman that runs and owns "The Hidden Wardrobe. You'll be meeting her very soon." I also like her work better than those of the other stores I've been to. It's not that I don't like shopping elsewhere; it's just that she has more of an original quality to her work and I know she'll do a good job.

"I also need to get my outfit replaced from when I fought that slime monster a week ago." I really like Keats' attire and it was burnt to a crisp during the fight.

"Is she nice?" Davin asked a little hopefully.

"Oh yes, Sylvia is a very nice woman." She's probably going to mess with him. It's fun to do that just as long as you don't go too far and I don't think she's the type.

Now that I think about it, I haven't given anyone a good scare in a while. I'll need to fix that.

Davin and I then turned into our wolf forms. Davin was wearing the same set of clothing that he had on the other day. I, on the other hand, wore a white shirt with a black jacket going over it and a pair of blue jeans with a black belt and gray tennis shoes. The jacket was open at the front and instead of my Donegal I was now wearing my black fedora.

Making sure the door was locked, the two of us walked over to "The Hidden Wardrobe" to get Davin some new threads and to get a few copies of my Keats outfit made.

It was a little after 9AM when we got there.

The inside of the store was as dim as always and it still felt like you were stepping into a fantasy story.

We spent about an hour in there by the time we were done. Davin's new clothing resembled mine to an extent, but they were a little different.

Unlike myself, I helped him pick out a few pairs of button-down shirts with sleeveless ones to go underneath. He also grabbed a few striped shirts and about 8 different pairs of pants that came in black, brown and blue. I found a pair of blue tennis shoes which were a smaller version of what I was wearing so I got those as well along with several pairs of socks and undies.

Once we were finished shopping, we headed towards the front counter.

Like last time, Sylvia wasn't there to check us out and I came to the assumption that she was hiding up in the ceiling again. I rang the silver bell that was sitting there and I stood there waiting as Davin just looked on confused.

"Hello Victor." I heard her voice call from above. Looking up, I saw her descend from the darkness while Davin just looked on in surprise. "Who's the cutie?"

He turned his gaze away and a light blush spread across his face. "I'm Davin ma'am."

"Cute and polite. I bet you'll be a real ladies man one day." I suppose it's a good thing his fur is dark so the blush doesn't show too much. "So did you find everything you needed?"

"Yeah we're all good." I stepped in shielding Davin from further teasing. "My nephew is going to be staying with me for an undetermined amount of time so I thought it would be a good idea to swing by."

"Did something happen?"

"Everything is going to be fine. Some business came up in the family and it's being taken care of." I stepped closer and in a quiet voice added, "Don't ask the boy any questions. He's already been affected enough by what's going on."

"All right." Sylvia spoke softly as she glanced sympathetically at Davin. "How are you doing by the way?"

"I'm not doing as well as I could be, but I'm not bad. How about yourself?"

"Business has been doing well so I can't really complain."

"That's good." I replied. I'm not going to explain the situation to my friends.

I suddenly remembered the other reason why I was here.

"Hey Sylvia, do you think you could make a few copies of this?" I asked as I pulled out the scorched clothing.

When she saw it, Sylvia took it from my grasp and looked at it with widened eyes.

"What happened to this?" She asked in surprise.

"Someone thought it would be funny to play a prank on me." I replied hiding my irritation.

"I hope you got them back. This is a nice outfit."

I let out a small laugh. "You don't need to worry about that. They won't think to prank me again."

Sylvia put my outfit away and rang up our purchases.

"How long do you think it will take to have them ready?"

"They should be ready within a week." She replied.

Feeling a little better, I paid for Davin's clothes and we made for the door. As I placed my hand on the doorknob, Sylvia called out to me. "I hope you get your situation resolved."

I looked over my shoulder with tired eyes. "There's lying back and wishing something away and then there's actually taking care of it. I've got it handled, but thanks for your concern."

We stepped out the door and I let out a sigh again.

Aside from getting Davin new clothes, going in there had actually given my mind a momentary reprieve from the issue at hand.

One of the main problems I found myself facing was the matter of killing the murderer.

The other day, I felt like I could go through with killing him as we were about to fight, but thinking about it and actually doing it are two entirely different things. Hopefully when it comes down to it, I'll be able to go through with it and not be bothered later.

I guess I just need to focus on finding him first.

Davin and I walked back home and he went upstairs to change into some of his new clothing while I waited downstairs.

When he came back, I saw that he was now wearing a striped, blue shirt with a pair of black jeans. He had taken off his shoes and switched to the new blue ones and he left the Donegal on his head.

"You all set?"

"I think so."

"_Voice!"_

"_I'm here. You don't need to shout." The voice said tiredly. "Teleporting…now."_

The two of us disappeared and we reappeared back at Garn's Bookstore just as we had the other day.

I guess this will be my go to point from now on whenever I come here.

As I reached to open the door, I noticed that the sign on the door was switched to closed. I disregarded this and unsurprisingly it opened when I turned the knob.

"I'm in the back." Garn called as we walked in.

We walked to the back and when we found him we were in some kind of investigation room.

In the center of the room, there was a wooden table with a large map of London resting on top of it. Along the walls, there were various maps of the different sections of the city. One of them, which happened to be of the Whitechapel area, had two tacks stuck in it which I presumed marked the first and last murders.

I pulled out my notes from yesterday and I matched up the locations.

The first murder took place on Heneage Street and this last body was found the next street over on Princelet.

"I thought that the police concealed this information." I spoke turning to Garn.

Garn just smiled. "Though they tried to, that doesn't mean the walls don't have ears. There are eyes everywhere and there are those of us around who have discovered some details. The information we've gathered isn't as much as we'd like however." He finished sounding slightly disappointed.

"Have you or anyone else been near the crime scenes?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. While this case is interesting, and even though none of us had a part in it, we still can't afford to attract attention to ourselves."

"I suppose I can understand that." I paused and thought for a moment. "How long has all of this been set up?"

"I started this room after the third murder. While I don't enjoy the thought of children being killed, I became interested in figuring out the killer's motivation and treated it as a sort of puzzle." He then added, "I also can't have this affecting my business. Having a killer running around isn't good for sales."

"_At least this saves me the trouble of buying a map now." I thought trying to stay positive._

"Do you think I could use this room so I can catch this bastard? It would really help."

"Certainly, I would think out of anyone you would have the best chance." He then scowled. "The police are too incompetent to do anything anyway."

"Thanks."

Using my notes, I took some tacks and marked the other ten murders on the maps. Seven of the twelve murders occurred around the Whitechapel area while the other five were scattered throughout the rest of London. I also copied all of my notes onto the map next to each tack.

Once I was done, Davin and I teleported to the first crime scene.

When we got there, Davin grabbed ahold of my leg and wouldn't let go. He buried his face into my pants and was obviously frightened by something.

"Is someone about to get attacked again?" The murders only happen at night, but better safe than sorry.

He slowly shook his head. "This place doesn't feel right. We can't stay here."

"Everything is going to be all right." I said trying to comfort him. "We'll take a quick look and then we'll head back to the bookstore okay."

I heard a muffled "okay."

As I tried to step forward, Davin continued to cling to me so I just carried him along.

After a couple of minutes of searching, I eventually found the marking which was on the side of a nearby building.

The symbol was a straight, vertical line with a circle at the top of it. A diagonal line went from the lower left, through the center of the line and up to the right where it stopped. In the lower right hand corner, there was a single dot.

I recorded the symbol and I put my notebook away.

Curiously, I reached my hand out and right as I was about to make contact I was zapped.

_Fuck!_

I quickly pulled my hand back and gave it a good shake. While I was pissed, something did come out of it. It was only for a brief second, but my eye caught a purple signature of some kind.

"Did you feel anything Davin?"

When I looked down, he didn't respond and clutched my leg tighter. I felt it was now a good time to leave.

We reappeared back in the bookstore and I found a chair to sit in so I could deal with this. I managed to pry Davin off of my leg with some effort and I sat him on my knee. He looked to be very shaken.

I sat there for 10 minutes before I felt like I could talk to him.

"You didn't get hurt back there or anything did you?" I don't know whether he could of felt that or not, but I had to be sure.

He shook his head. "It felt like I couldn't breathe. I don't know why, but I can't be there."

I pulled him into a hug. "I won't make you go back there again. How about you stay here while I move about the city. Does that sound good?"

"What if something happens?" He asked worriedly.

"I think I'll be all right." I said confidently. "I survived against a slime monster so I should be good."

"Okay."

I picked Davin up as I stood up and I turned and set him down in the seat.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone."

"I won't."

I disappeared and reappeared at the next location which was over on Macklin Street in Camden.

"_I'm not sure, but I may have seen that symbol before or at the least something close to it." The voice said._

"_Do you remember where you saw it?"_

"_Continue looking at each symbol. It might jog my memory."_

The next symbol was a vertical line with an additional two lines at each end making them resemble tridents. There was one dot to both the left and right of it.

From here I continued on and visited each spot.

The third and fourth locations were by the tracks near Wandsworth Prison and over on a side street in Southwark.

When I got to the fifth location, I noticed something familiar which cemented this case as this universe's Jack the Ripper even further.

The fifth through ninth locations were the same spots where the canonical five Jack the Ripper bodies were found in my own universe. The murders were also done in the same order.

I traveled from Buck's Row to 29 Hanbury Street. From there I went to Dutfield's Yard and Mitre Square. The last spot of the five was 13 Miller's Court.

_I don't know if these spots mean anything here, but I'm still going to catch the bastard._

A pattern became evident to me as I visited each site. All of the symbols that I had seen thus far share a similarity in that they each had dots which increased in number by one from one spot to the next.

The tenth and eleventh spots were in Westminster and Lambeth.

The first was on Thorney Street which was just a few minutes away from Big Ben. The second was under an overpass which the train tracks ran on.

I finally ended my search back in Whitechapel on Princelet Street where I documented the final symbol. Seeing I was done, I teleported myself back to the bookstore.

I walked into the backroom and I saw Davin reading an adventure story in one of the chairs while Garn was looking through some old newspapers which pertained to the case.

I wrote down the symbols next to each tack on the map. I then walked to the center of the room and I marked everything down on the map covering all of London.

Garn put the newspaper down and walked over to see examine my information.

"That's certainly interesting." He said as he saw the first symbol.

"_I think I recognize the symbols now."_

"Do you know what they are?" I asked both of them.

"_These are summoning symbols."_

"These are summoning symbols." They both answered simultaneously.

_It can never be simple can it?_

"I thought that different beings could travel between dimensions with ease." I spoke with confusion.

"Not all of us can." Garn replied. "Some of us don't have the power to do so and need outside help. Depending on who it is, the requirements can be different."

"_For more malevolent entities, some sort of sacrifice or other dark approach is usually needed." The voice picked up where Garn left off. "On the other hand, it tends to differ more with benevolent beings, but usually they can be called upon through a telepathic link."_

"Make sure to keep in mind that while humans or other regular people can be used for dark purposes, that they don't necessarily have to be and that dark entities can receive the help of others who wish to give it." Garn finished.

I rubbed my forehead tiredly. "Do you know who's being summoned?"

"No. But I do know that the formation isn't complete yet."

_I kind of gathered that since the killer was still moving about._

"Can you tell me how far along it is?"

"I'd say that it needs one more symbol to be complete." He replied.

I let out a sigh of relief. "So I guess I just wait where I saw the killer the other night then."

"Not exactly." Garn spoke trampling my relief. "Certain formations can be altered as long as it isn't done too much and even if you kill this person another one could be found to finish it."

_Dammit._

"Do you at least know how to stop it?"

"I'm afraid I don't, but that doesn't mean I can't find out. I'll get back to you once I've found something."

"All right."

I stepped away from the table and allowed myself to sink into one of the nearby chairs.

"_I didn't think I'd be dealing with magic or at least this early."_

"_It's not magic." The voice spoke with mild irritation. "While there are some similarities, what this is and magic deal with are two entirely different realms."_

"_What's the difference?" I inquired._

_The voice sighed. "First off, magic deals more with spirits and the land of the dead. It deals more with hell and selling your soul in exchange for power. In our realm, everyone is alive and there are no souls wandering around."_

"_Wouldn't that make this magic since little girls are being sacrificed?"_

"_No because these symbols are different from the ones required to summon a spirit." The voice paused and thought how to word this properly. "Let me rephrase this. While these are summoning symbols, they act as more of a beacon. They give off a signal which alerts the entity and the victims give them the boost needed to come over. It would be like if you were starving and you smelled food cooking. They also have the option as to whether or not they want to answer the call at all."_

"_A magic summoning, on the other hand, would require you to give yourself up and the demon called upon would be dragged over with no choice in the matter. Once the task was completed, you would be dragged away never to be seen again. Magic also requires incantations."_

_The voice kept going. "That's not to say that an entity cannot become twisted. There are those like the Slender Man who delved into dark subjects over time and became twisted to the point where they became like demons. These beings are usually taken care of but they sometimes evade destruction."_

"_There are also creatures out there that exist that attack people or commit other evil deeds, but they do it more by nature like an animal in the wild. One example would be that slime monster you fought a week back. These creatures act on instinct and are not sentient even though some of them may appear to be."_

"_What would that make Davin then?" I asked._

"_He and his people, along with many others, make up the regular populace of our dimension. The best way to describe this set up would be to compare it to the ways of the Earth. The creatures I mentioned would be the animals, Davin and others like him would be the people and those like me would be like wise elders which people seek help from. We make sure things stay in order and none of us claim to be God. That's just arrogant." _

_I guess that all makes sense. "Thanks for the explanation. By the way, do you know why I was shocked before and how to stop the summoning?"_

"_If I had to guess, I would say that whatever entity is being summoned managed to transfer a portion of their power over into the symbols to prevent their destruction and you were seen as a threat." The voice answered._

"_Now when it comes to the summoning, I would say to destroy each symbol, but I'm not sure how to go about that yet as it's not something I delve in. I'll look into it and get back to you."_

"_All right."_

I'm glad I managed to get some information out of them. Looking at the past, this is probably going to be a rare occurrence. Or it could just be this knowledge is more common or less important.

My stomach rumbled and I realized that I had been awhile since I had eaten anything. I checked the time on my iPhone and saw that it was 2PM.

Thinking everyone else might be hungry as well; I left the shop and walked over to a local deli where I bought each of us a sandwich.

As I stepped outside, my phone went off which caught me by surprise. I pulled it out and I saw that Arthur was calling me. I then recalled that I had given my phone number to both him and his sister and Sylvia some time ago.

"Hey Arthur. What's up?"

"It's nothing really. I was just wondering why you're in London." He replied in a deadpan tone.

"How do you know where I am?"

"I can see you from the telephone box. Look to your right." He said with a hint of amusement.

I looked over and I saw him waving at me with one hand with the phone still in the other. He had on a pair of grey pants and a black t-shirt along with a pair of black running shoes.

_This is gonna be a bitch._

I waved back at him and we both hung up as he walked over to meet me. We both shook hands and before he could say anything I said, "Before we talk, is it all right if we head to Garn's Books first? I haven't eaten anything in a while and neither has anyone else."

"Fair enough."

The two of us walked back to the bookstore and Arthur followed me into the back. When he saw the setup we had going on, he appeared to be intrigued.

"Uncle Victor. Who's that?" Davin asked catching our attention.

"This is my friend Arthur. He is the bartender at "The Wandering Specter." I introduced them. "Arthur. This is my nephew Davin. He's going to be staying with me for some time."

Arthur offered his hand which Davin shook.

"It's nice to meet you sir."

"It's nice to meet you too Davin."

I handed Davin his sandwich so I could tackle the issue at hand.

"So how long have you been here?" I asked Arthur.

"I arrived the other day. My sister and I took the train from Paris to here." So Felicia's here too. "We decided to take a break from work and go on a little trip."

"Where is she now?"

"She should be out shopping around the city somewhere. We'll meet up later."

"That's all good I suppose."

"So why are you here and how did you get here so quickly?" He inquired with interest.

"I'm just taking care of some things." I replied straight-faced.

"Family business?"

"I'm guessing you spoke to Sylvia then."

Arthur nodded. "She called earlier this morning and asked how we were doing. She also told me of your visit so I won't pry into your personal affairs. I didn't know you had a nephew though."

I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, something came up and he's now under my care. I'm going to get everything straightened out."

Arthur gave the room another look.

"Family business doesn't appear to be the only thing you're dealing with." He spoke with interest.

"I'm guessing you already know what all of this is."

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, then you are trying to track down the killer."

"You would be correct on that count."

"While this is all very interesting, I have to ask why?"

"I guess since you've seen all of this then I can tell you." I spoke with my best composure. "I am an undercover Interpol agent and I've been called in to sort this mess out."

Arthur scrutinized my face to see if I was lying. "If that's true then why didn't they contact you earlier? Surely they could have used your help."

I let out a mocking laugh. "They did need my help, but if you haven't noticed the police have been pretty incompetent with this case. The killer could turn himself in and they would still be looking for clues."

"Now, as for how I got here, let's just say I have special resources and leave it at that."

I then remembered my lunch.

"Is it all right if we talk more later on? I need to eat this thing."

"That's fine."

I left the room and saw Garn sitting at the table in his kitchen.

"I got you a sandwich." I said handing it to him.

"Thanks."

I took out my own sandwich and we started eating.

"Who's that guy that followed you in?"

"Oh, that's Arthur. He's one of my friends from France. I didn't know he was here, but apparently he and his sister arrived yesterday. He told me they're taking a break from work."

Garn rubbed his beak. "Why did you bring him back here?"

"I don't want to arouse suspicion and given my situation that's pretty easy to do."

"I guess that's fine then." He paused. "Did he believe you?"

"I think so. Arthur's pretty sharp, but I can be pretty convincing." I spoke with confidence. "Besides, with all of the work I'm doing I might as well be an undercover detective."

We turned back to our meals and continued eating.

Arthur

After Victor walked away, Arthur turned around and began to closely examine each of the maps.

He saw where Isaac had written down the information and he slowly traced his finger along the maps from one tack to the next.

"Excuse me sir, but what are you doing?"

Arthur looked down and saw Davin standing next to him who had just finished his sandwich.

"Well, while I was looking at the maps, I noticed something both peculiar and familiar." Arthur told him. "I'm trying to connect the points on the maps as this room reminds me of a part of one of my mystery books."

"What will that do?"

Arthur gave him a smile. "In a few of the stories I've read, there have been puzzles or riddles that the characters have had to solve and I thought that if I connected the points then I could maybe figure out where the killer will strike next."

"That sounds really neat." Davin said with enthusiasm.

"I suppose it does, doesn't it?"

Arthur looked around, but he couldn't find one.

"You wouldn't happen to have a pen would you?"

"I don't, but my Uncle does."

"I guess I better go ask him for one." Arthur said.

Arthur walked into the kitchen and saw that Isaac and Garn had just finished eating.

"Excuse me Victor, but would you happen to have a pen?"

"I have one in my pocket, why?" Isaac didn't want him messing with anything.

"I looked over the maps in the back and I noticed something familiar. In one of my mystery books, there was a part where the characters had to track someone down and they connected the points on a map of previous sightings to find where he would be next."

Isaac rubbed his chin. "That actually sounds like a good idea."

The two of them stood up and pushed their chairs in.

"This is Garn by the way. He's the owner and manager of the store." Isaac said as he introduced him.

They both reached out and shook hands.

"Hello. I'm Arthur Cloud."

"And I'm Garn even though Victor already told you."

Victor clapped his hands together catching their attention.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, why don't we go see if Arthur's idea holds any water."

Isaac

I went into the backroom once more and Arthur and Garn followed behind me. Davin, having finished his sandwich, was sitting down and he had picked up where he left off in his adventure story.

We stepped over to the map in the center of the room and I pulled a pen from out of my pocket.

Taking Arthur's idea, I took the pen and started connecting each of the points. The first four spots made sort of a trapezoid shape while five through nine reminded me of The Big Dipper. The tenth and eleventh spots made a short line in the center of the trapezoid and the twelfth spot didn't really change anything as it was right next to the first one.

I didn't think anything of it at first, but everything suddenly distorted for a moment and the image started to move.

The trapezoid slowly shifted into the shape of a horizontal eye and the line in the center widened to create a sclera, iris and pupil. The eye then looked at me and a drop of blood spilled from it like a tear.

I don't know what drove me to do it, but I took my pen and I quickly stabbed it in the eye. The moment I did, I heard a loud scream in my mind that lasted for a few seconds. I quickly shook my head and I saw that everything had gone back to normal.

_Well, except for the pen now sticking in the table._

"_So it's her then."_

"So it's her then." They said simultaneously once more.

"Who's her?" I asked as I rubbed my head.

I then felt my leg being squeezed and I saw Davin holding onto me. Now I know what he felt earlier at the first site. I picked him up and I could feel him crying into my shoulder as he had done the other day. This shit is tough to deal with.

I looked over at Arthur and he seemed to be fine at first. That was until his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he hit the floor.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine." Garn said. "He'll just have a huge headache later."

"That's good. So who is she?"

"_She's someone who has managed to evade death for many years. It looks like her time is just about up." The voice replied evilly._

"Her name is Arusia and she's about to be dead." Garn told me.

?

"I'm sorry mother! I'll make sure to do better!" The killer shouted. He was by himself in an abandoned church so no one could hear him.

"_I know you will son. Make sure to make me proud or I'll have to leave again." Arusia said in comforting voice._

"Don't do that! I'll find another girl and I won't be interrupted this time!"

"_I've seen our little interloper. Once you've finished the preparations, mother will take care of everything." She told him. "Neither he nor anyone else will ever bother you again and I'll be able to watch over you always."_

"I love you!"

"_I know you do. And mother loves her son as long as he doesn't disappoint."_

The killer sat down on a nearby pew and pulled out a book of church songs. Inside the book, there were pictures of each of the twelve victims. As he flipped through the pages, the killer stopped and he pulled a photograph out. A sadistic smile spread across his face as he stared at the image.

The image was of Carmelita.

A/N: I'm not going to do it yet but within the next two chapters I think I'll change the story to an M rating. There's this one part I plan on typing that is kind of bloody and I don't think it would fit with a T rating. Even if it didn't happen now, it would probably happen later down the line. There is a reason behind this scene and whenever I type something dark or violent there will always be a point to it. I'll never type something just to sicken or gross someone out.

Thanks to everyone for reading my story and for the faves, follows and reviews. If you see any mistakes or ways in which I can improve then please leave a review.


	12. Chapter 12: Moonlight Murders Part 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 12: Moonlight Murders Part 3—The Path of a Killer

I stood there for a few moments and as I did I could feel a presence in the room, but it was friendlier and directed away from me. There was a deep-seated hatred behind it that would most likely crush me if I were an enemy.

"I'm guessing there's some history there between the two of you." I gently probed.

"_You could say that." The voice spoke darkly._

"Before we go into any detail, I would think it wise to place them somewhere else." Garn said gesturing to Arthur who was still on the floor and Davin who was still in my arms.

Seeing his point, I carried Davin out of the back first and I set him down in one of the chairs in the front. I had also made sure to pick up that adventure book that he had been reading before. I thought it would come in handy in getting his mind off of the current situation.

_Considering the crap I've dealt with, I can only imagine how he is feeling._

I decided not to say anything to him and to just let him calm down and relax. I've found from personal experience that it's best to just let someone be for a moment if they've gone through something upsetting or depressing. Talking to them in that state will only make things worse.

I sat with him for a few minutes before I remembered that Arthur was still on the floor. I gave Davin a quick pat on the back before I went back to the investigation room.

When I got there, I saw that Arthur was still in the same position as before.

"You could have lent me a hand you know." I spoke with some annoyance.

"I could have," Garn responded. "But I'm currently thinking of how to best proceed and I find that I work better when I'm focused on one thing rather than several."

"Whatever."

I picked up Arthur underneath his arms and I pulled him along with his feet dragging across the floor. I set him in the chair next to Davin and I walked to the back again.

I closed the door behind me and we began our discussion.

"So, what connection do you have with this Arusia?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Along time ago, over many times your age, Arusia, along with me and others, were allies."

"_We went around making sure things stayed in order and we helped keep others out of harm's way." The voice chimed in. "Along with imparting knowledge, we also act as a form of police. We mainly stick to our own dimension, but we will cross over into your own and that of others if the need arises."_

"I would guess it was for power, but for whatever reason there came a point where she betrayed us."

"_Her betrayal was bad enough on its own, but what really doomed her was the death of Eckzern." The voice sighed. "We found his body in the woods. He had been beheaded."_

"After his death, and once we discovered it was her, she had run from us and hid herself somewhere where we couldn't find her."

"How did you find out it was her who did it?" I asked.

_The voice laughed. "The bitch was stupid enough to use the blade she carries to do it. It didn't take us long to make the connection once we saw the body."_

"Since you're familiar with her, does that mean that you've figured out a way to stop her?" I asked hopefully.

Garn nodded. "Now that she has revealed herself we do. The plan involves those symbols at each crime scene."

I figured out what he was going to say. "I guess that you've found a way to destroy them and that I'm going to revisit each site right?"

"_Actually it would be the opposite."_

This threw me off. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that we're going to let this happen and allow her to be summoned over here?" Garn replied.

_What!?_

"I'm not going to let anyone else be killed by that psychopath." I spoke with hostility.

"No one else is going to die." He reassured. "Everything will turn out fine as long as you make sure things move accordingly."

"_Do you remember what Davin said about sensing others?"_

"He told it to me just this morning." I said slightly irritated.

"There's no need to get angry. Anyways, when Arusia revealed herself just now she gave off a signature which is something that everyone possesses."

"Since you recognized it, couldn't you have just found her a long time ago using it and saved us all the trouble?"

"_It's not that simple." The voice replied._

"While we all possess a signature, there are those of us who can hide it." Garn explained. "That is the reason why we couldn't find her before. It isn't perfect though."

"How's that?"

"_If you're powerful enough, you can overcome this and easily find whoever you're hunting." The voice answered. "And if you reveal yourself, you can't immediately hide yourself again because you leave behind a faint trace of yourself."_

"Can that be overcome as well?"

"With enough practice you can, but it's very difficult." Garn replied.

"What's your plan then?" I asked skeptically.

"_Using her signature, we're going to track down the killer and we're going to follow him to where the 13__th__ murder will take place."_

Garn picked up where he left off. "Before he claims his final victim, Arusia will make herself known and we'll be able to pinpoint her exact location. At that point, you'll step in and rescue the child while we literally rip Arusia in half."

I rubbed my head. "I'm still unsure about this, but I'm not really that familiar with all of this so I guess I'll just go along with it."

"While you're out doing that, I'm going to contact a few people to help take care of this."

I let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. For a moment, I thought that you were going to have me fight her. After the slime monster, I don't want to come that close to death again or at least this soon."

Garn let out a small laugh. "If you tried to fight her, you would be massacred. You'll eventually get strong enough to where you could fight her, but that is a long ways off."

"I guess I'll head out then." I said while pointing my thumb over my shoulder.

I walked back to the front and saw that Davin had managed to calm down a little, but still appeared to be bothered.

Arthur was still knocked out and hadn't really moved.

"Hey buddy," I said catching Davin's attention. "I have to head out again."

He looked worried. "Where are you going?"

"We've come up with a plan to deal with all of this." I sighed. "I'm going to go carry it out. I want you to stay here and stay safe all right."

"Okay. Just be careful."

"I will be and if Arthur wakes up tell him he fell asleep in the chair. I don't want him finding out about my predicament."

"I will."

"Good."

I turned away and stepped out the front door.

"_How are we going to go about this?" I asked as I walked down the street. "Do I just go back to each of the crime scenes and go from there?"_

"_We will visit them again." The voice confirmed. "But they are not the only sites we'll see. I'm picking up a few other locations that have a concentration of her signature."_

"_Kind of like a metal detector then?"_

_The voice sighed. "I guess you could compare it to that, but don't. It gets annoying."_

_I feel like I should use this to get back at him, but I think I'll let it slide and take the high road._

"_Where do we head first?"_

"_We'll start with each crime scene starting with the most recent. After that, we'll head off to the other locations. Finding him shouldn't be too difficult."_

I teleported back to Princelet Street and I quickly moved from one site to the next. At each spot, I started noticing more of that purple signature around each symbol from when I was shocked earlier.

"_Is that purple aura Arusia's presence?" I asked to make sure._

"_Yes."_

"_How am I able to see it? I thought Davin said you had to be born with it." I was a little confused._

"_The reason you're able to see it is due to my connection to you." The voice explained. "And Davin was right. This is not something that can be learned."_

"_That sucks." I responded with disappointment._

"_I suppose so, but there are a lot of other interesting things you will learn over time so I wouldn't get too upset over it."_

Once I was finished at Heneage Street, I was teleported to an old house farther away from the city.

_This place has clearly seen better days._

The house was one-story tall and it had one upstairs bedroom. The white paint had faded away for the most part and I could see spots where the wood had been damaged. The roof desperately needed to have some new shingles put in and a couple of the windows were broken.

_This would almost be sad if my mind wasn't preoccupied._

I carefully walked up the porch and I tried to open the front door. When I grasped the knob, I gave the door a gentle push, but it ended up falling flat onto the floor.

I stepped inside and slowly explored the house.

The interior looked like what you would expect to find after seeing the outside. The paint had faded, there was dust everywhere and there were areas where water damage had set in.

I entered the downstairs hallway and there were two doors on either side of me.

I looked through the first room which appeared to be an office of some kind but I didn't really find anything of any importance. The second room was just the bathroom and it looked better than I thought it would. It looked as if someone had been keeping it clean.

The third room I came to, however, was a complete mess.

Someone had a mental breakdown in here.

The furniture in the room had been thrown about everywhere. There were pillows that had the stuffing pulled out of them and there was a shattered mirror on the floor resting against the wall. There was also a series of stab marks covering the walls of the room. There was a picture on the wall and the knife that had been used was stabbed into it.

I walked over and I pulled the knife out with one hand while I grabbed the picture with the other.

The photograph showed a young, female chameleon who was smiling with an older one behind her. She had scaly, green skin with leaf green hair and orange eyes. The one standing behind her, who I'm assuming was her mother, also has green scales and orange eyes while her hair is more of a forest green.

_I guess that explains how the killer was able to hide from me before._

I decided to pocket the picture and continue my exploration.

I left the room and I walked to the final door in the hallway. What I found inside was an exact opposite of the room from before.

Everything was clean and tidy and there was not a speck of dust to be found anywhere. The bed was made and the paint on the walls wasn't faded in the least. The floor had also been vacuumed and the window was intact.

On the bedside table, there were a few more photos.

The first one was another happy picture of the mother and the daughter.

The second one was different in that instead of the girl this one featured a young boy. He had green scales just like the other two, but his were a darker green whereas theirs' were lighter. He had purple eyes and green hair that was a shade between his sister's and mother's. The two of them looked very happy.

It's kind of strange to see the killer like this.

At the same time, it makes me think of all those cases I've heard of back home. There were instances where I would watch the news and hear about someone committing a murder or other foul deed. You would have the families of the suspect come out and say that they could never do that or it wasn't in them and I find that to be laughable.

The reason why is that no matter how unlikely it is, everyone is capable of committing foul deeds, but that doesn't mean that they necessarily will. Even people who are extremely nice and kind can be pushed far enough to take action.

I really hate that and I despise corruption but that's just the way the world's gone and it's only going to get worse.

The third picture was of the boy and his mother again except this one also had his sister. At this point in time, she was a baby and was being held in her mother's arms. No one was upset or angry and they all appeared to be having a good life.

I grabbed the frame and I took the picture out. Something inside me said that it would come in handy later. I stuck the picture in my pocket and I left the room.

Seeing that I was finished downstairs, I carefully walked up the stairs into the last room in the house.

The room was a little messy, but not too bad. It wasn't anywhere near as clean as his mother's room downstairs though. There was a bed by the window that seemed too small for him and on the headboard it read, "Marcus."

On the wall, there was a large map of the city and there were different points marked on the map for each crime scene. A red line had been drawn from each mark to create the symbols that we had seen back at the bookstore. Next to each mark, there was also a picture of each of the girls that had been murdered.

I sighed. "It's such a shame to be cut down when there's so much life ahead."

I walked back downstairs and was going to step outside when something stopped me.

In the front doorway, I saw a black, shadowy orb float upwards from the floor. I thought that it might have been Arusia's at first, but then I realized that it felt too different.

"_Would you like to view a memory?" The voice asked._

"_I suppose so, but how do it work?"_

"_In certain instances, the memories of others can be viewed through the use of items that are of significance to them." He explained. "This can also work if someone has left behind a trace of themselves or if there are powerful emotions tied to an area. And before you ask, we couldn't have looked at Arusia's memories because this is different. Leaving behind a trace like this takes some conscious effort on the user's part."_

_Man that's funny. "So it's like Folklore then. I'm not going to go to the Netherworld am I?"_

"_As I've said before, there are no spirits wandering around our dimension though we are capable of communicating with them to an extent." He told me. "Sometimes, due to events in life, the souls of the dead can't rest in peace and we will aid them if we can or wish to."_

"_That's sounds pretty interesting."_

"_It kind of does," He replied. "So, do you want to view the memory or not?"_

"_Yes. I would like to."_

"_Reach out and touch the orb."_

Following his words, I did just that and when I made contact my surroundings shifted and the house turned back to the state it was in at that time.

I was now standing a short distance away in the front yard and I had been turned around to get a proper view.

The scene before me was kind of depressing.

I saw the small boy from before being taken away by two large men towards a black car that had a dark feel about it. They had grabbed him underneath his arms and there was a river of tears coming down his face as they dragged him off.

On the front porch, the mother stood there with a look that was somewhere between angry and one that indicated she thought the boy was crazy. The little girl was behind her and her hands were clutching her pants leg as she looked scared at what was happening.

"Mother! Why are you doing this!?" Marcus shouted in fear.

"Don't call me that." She responded angrily. "You're not my son and you never were."

"Yes I am! Don't you remember me!?" He looked at his sister. "Sophie! You remember me don't you!? Tell mom I'm not crazy!"

His mother reached back and pushed her daughter behind her.

"Get him out of here."

"Yes ma'am."

Marcus started kicking his feet. "Please don't take me away! I'll do all of the chores! I'll take care of everything! Just don't take me away! I'm your son!

"Quiet down you little shit." One of the men said.

Marcus just kept screaming until he was in the car and his mother and sister had gone back into the house. I stood there and watched as the car sped off.

_I guess I can sympathize with him, but that doesn't justify him killing all of those girls._

I thought that the memory was over and that I would go back to the present, but that soon changed as everything momentarily distorted.

Once it stopped, I found that I had gone even farther back than I had before.

It was night time and I had reappeared back inside the house. Throughout the house, there was a black fog that was too thick to see anything through. Luckily, that didn't apply to me which was one of the benefits of having "the voice" with me.

I found the hallway and I entered Sophie's room first.

Inside, I saw a dark figure hovering over her bed and it had its hands over her head. At the end of each hand, there were five long, razor sharp claws and the creature dug the tips of all the claws into her head like a syringe.

A dark aura went from its claws into her skull and even through all of this she didn't once stir. This lasted for about 30 seconds before it stopped and the creature pulled its claws back. It then turned away from her and I got a better look at it.

The closest thing I could compare this thing to was the Grim Reaper, but it was a little different. While it did have the shadows wrapped around itself like a cloak, the creature wasn't skeletal at all in its appearance. It didn't have any legs, or at least that I could see, as it floated above the floor and it had two glowing, blood red eyes.

The creature fazed through the wall into the next room and I followed after it.

In the mother's room, it did the exact same thing as last time. It stuck its claws into her head and the dark aura poured out of them.

"_Do you have any idea what the hell this thing is?" I asked._

"_I'm not entirely sure." The voice replied. "Though I've been around for a long time, I am not aware of the existence and abilities of every creature and entity."_

"_What is your dimension like anyway?"_

_The voice laughed. "It can't be put into words. You would have to see it for yourself to get a grasp of it, but what I can tell you is that it is endless."_

The creature left the room and I followed it upstairs to Marcus' room where he was also sound asleep. It did the same thing once more although this time Marcus stirred slightly which caused the creature to vanish. Marcus stayed that way for a few seconds before he went back to bed.

I then felt a pull and I found myself back in the present.

"_Well that was enlightening."_

"_Do you think you have everything figured out?" The voice asked._

_I shook my head. "No, not everything, but it's clear that whatever that thing was did something to screw with their minds. It's a pretty good answer as to why they didn't remember Marcus."_

"_Are you ready to leave?"_

_I nodded. "Let's do it. I'm tired of this place."_

I disappeared and reappeared on a rooftop that was overlooking an orphanage similar to the one in Debut.

"_Do you want to see the next one?"_

"_Yeah," I replied. "Though I think I can see what's coming. His life is going to be terrible and he's going to be driven into a corner isn't he."_

"_Let's find out."_

Rather than appearing inside, a series of images flashed before my eyes and I got a summarized version of Marcus' time here.

It was as I had thought.

He was made fun of and laughed at and had the crap kicked out of him by the other children. The people who ran the place were even worse and they were of no help to him in anyway. I saw that he tried to look on the bright side of things and do the right thing, but that's hard to do when you're alone.

There was one thing that caught my eye however.

In one instance, Marcus was asleep in his room and he wasn't looking very good. He had a black eye and there was a faint trace of blood from his nose and lip.

_When I first learned of the killer, I thought he would be some idiot that couldn't take life, but there are a lot of people out there who couldn't handle this._

As I looked down on him, the black fog reappeared and so did the creature as well.

Making sure Marcus was asleep, I saw the creature float over to him and it stuck its claws into his head. While this was going on, I started to hear a woman's voice. It was spoken in a soft, comforting voice, but there was a hint of evil underneath that I couldn't ignore.

"How is he coming along?" She asked.

In a deep voice, the creature replied, "His mental defenses have weakened with the treatment he has gone through, but he isn't quite ready yet."

"How much longer will it take?"

"It will still be awhile, but rest assured that it shall be done and he'll become loyal to his "precious mother."

"Is there anything you can do to speed up the process?" She inquired.

The creature nodded. "I can cause the others to abuse him more, but I'm not sure what state you want him in."

"Do it." She ordered. "As long as he doesn't die then it should all work out."

"Very well," The creature responded.

The memory came to an end and I was back on the rooftop once more.

"_How many more places are there?" I asked tiredly._

"_There's just one more."_

"_Where is it?"_

"_It's at a prison." The voice said._

_I rubbed my face and sighed. "Of course it is. Let's get it over with."_

Once again, I teleported and I was on yet another rooftop looking at a prison.

The place was pretty much what one would expect to see. The building was three-stories tall and was built using brown bricks. I could see a few chain-link fences and they had barbwire at the top to keep prisoners from escaping. All in all it was a pretty typical prison.

For hopefully the last time, or at least for right now, I delved into another memory.

This one showed an older Marcus rocking back and forth on his bed while his hands were clutching his hair.

"Please make it stop." He begged desperately. "I don't want to deal with this anymore."

He stayed that way for a few minutes and kept repeating the line "please make it stop" over and over again until I felt another presence in the room.

I don't know how I was able to see his hallucination, but I was and it took the form of his mother.

She placed her hand on his shoulder which caught his attention and she gave him a warm smile.

"Mother?" He asked in disbelief.

"Be at peace my son. I'm here." She spoke in a soothing voice.

As they spoke, I started to see the purple aura from before appear and I guessed that this was the point where Arusia first made contact with Marcus. It spilled into the room and it flowed into him without him ever realizing that anything was amiss.

Some tears spilled from his eyes. "Why did you have me taken away?"

"I'm sorry son, but something came up and I had to send you away to keep you safe." She replied with faked sadness. "I couldn't risk you or your sister being hurt, but that is all going to change now. I just need you to do one thing though."

"Anything!" He shouted.

She gave him a smile. "Good. Here's what I need to happen and I'll never leave you again."

Arusia started to go into a detailed explanation of what she needed him to do and he just went along with it like the loyal follower the creature said he would become. I paid attention at first, but the details that she gave him I pretty much already knew.

By this point, I'm pretty sure that he is under some form of mind control.

The memory eventually came to an end when the two of them disappeared from the prison cell and I found myself back on the rooftop.

I suddenly noticed that it was now night out as the sun had gone down and the streetlights had come on below. I pulled out my phone and saw that it was about 7PM right now. I guess I lost track of time.

"_I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on now." I spoke. "Since we're done, do you know where Marcus is?"_

"_I do, but I don't think you're going to like it."_

_I sighed. "Just tell me."_

"_He's currently heading towards Carmelita's house."_

"_Shit! Get me the hell over there!"_

I was quickly teleported to her house and when I got there I saw that the front door had been torn off its hinges.

I bolted up the front steps and made my way up the stairs as fast as I could. Part way up, I heard a window shatter and I doubled my pace.

At the top of the stairs, I saw Ricardo lying on his back on the floor with a woman who I assumed was Carmelita's mother looking him over. Ricardo, going by the signs, put up a good fight against Marcus but ultimately failed.

He had a busted lip and a broken nose with blood streaming down from both. He had a black eye and I'm sure that there was bruising around different parts of his body. He had also been stabbed in the shoulder by the looks of it.

At least he has someone to watch over him so I can keep moving.

Carmelita's mother finally decided to notice me and when she did she took the shock pistol that was still in Ricardo's hand and she tried to aim it at me.

Before she could, I reached forwards and I smacked it out of her hands.

"Look," I said with complete seriousness. "I'm here to keep your daughter safe, but judging from the window shattering I'm guessing that I'm a little late. With that being said, I have to go."

I ran into Carmelita's room and from the window I saw Marcus running away into the distance carrying an unconscious Carmelita with his right arm.

I teleported in front of him and bashed him in the face which caused him to drop Carmelita. Marcus slid back a few feet and he gave the side of his face a brief rub.

"You need to cut this shit out Marcus." I told him. "I don't think you're real mother would appreciate you doing this."

"How do you know my name?" He asked suspiciously. "And what do you mean "real" mother? My mother is the one who told me to do this and I won't lose her again!"

"My gosh you're pathetic. That isn't your real mother. It's someone posing as your mother who's telling you to do this." I explained. "Plus, you look like you're around my age. I think it's about time to get off the teat."

"You're lying! She is right and she warned me not to listen to others. She said they would lie to me."

I shook my head. "I guess I'm going to have to beat some sense into you then."

"I didn't come alone." Marcus said as he smiled evilly. "Mother sent me some help because of last time."

Once he said this, a friend of mine came for another visit.

_Not the damn slimes again._

About ten of those things showed up and they surrounded me in a circular formation. As I watched them, I saw Marcus pick up Carmelita and run away with her again. I would run after them, but I don't want these things to cause any damage or hurt anyone.

"_Are you here this time?"_

"_Yes, I'm here." The voice replied._

"_Can you give me a boost?" I asked. "The last time I fought these things, I formed a ring of fire around us which I pulled inwards to consume them. I want to do it again except this time I want you to teleport me out at the last second."_

"_It sounds risky, but I can do it."_

I switched to my human form and I pulled out my lighter. Since I had help this time, it didn't take me as long and it wasn't as hard to create a ring of fire. I'm actually a little glad I fought this thing before so I know how to deal with it now.

To make sure this worked, I put more power into it than last time so the flames were stronger and I put a spin on the ring to make the flames rise higher.

When I was ready, I pulled it inwards and the fire consumed all of the slimes before they could call out for help. I had gotten out at the last second and I didn't suffer any burns.

_That's good. I didn't need another tan._

I didn't have time to celebrate as I had to catch up with Marcus and unfortunately he was nowhere in sight.

"_Please tell me that you have a lock on him." I spoke urgently. "I can't afford to lose them. I would save her anyway, but Carmelita has an important role to play later. I also plan to mess with her and Sly about their relationship when the time comes."_

"_I took care of it." He reassured. "They're heading towards an old, abandoned church in another part of town."_

"_Thank God for that. I did not want to go looking for his ass again." I paused while I thought of what to do next. "I guess I'll head back to the bookstore. I don't really want to wait, but I'm going to stick to the plan as best as I can to draw that Arusia bitch out."_

"_What about Ricardo?"_

"_Thanks. I almost forgot about that."_

I went back to their house, but they were gone when I got there so I came to the conclusion that they were heading to the hospital.

_I'm not a doctor, but I think he'll make it. He didn't seem to be fatally wounded._

I reappeared at the bookstore, but it felt different inside than usual. There was a tense atmosphere that wasn't present before and it reminded me of those moments in RPGs right before you fight a huge boss battle.

I stepped into the investigation room and I saw Davin sitting in a chair sleeping while Arthur wasn't anywhere to be found.

I walked into the kitchen to see if he was there and on the table I saw a mountain of cheeseburgers and fries along with a two-liter bottle of cola.

_I haven't had these in months. It's beautiful._

Garn stepped into the kitchen from the other side of the room and his posture suggested that he was ready for combat.

"Cheeseburgers for me, you shouldn't have." I said with gratitude.

He jokingly reached to take them away. "I guess I'll just dispose of them then."

"You better not touch them. I haven't eaten as much today as I should have and I don't think anyone wants me to go berserk." I grabbed ahold of the first burger. "Do you know where Arthur went?"

"He left to meet up with his sister earlier while you were gone." He told me. "And he doesn't recall what happened so you should be all right."

"That's great." I replied with a mouth full of fries. "Is there anything else I can do?"

Garn shook his head. "You're fine. The only thing we need to do now is wait."

A/N: The next chapter will be the last part of Moonlight Murders. I thought it was a neat idea and I haven't seen Carmelita's influence to become a police officer commonly covered in fanfiction. When writing, I like to write things that you wouldn't see or expect to see others do.

After the next chapter, I think I might do a major timeskip to around the time Sly starts his thieving career, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

If you see any mistakes or ways in which I can improve then please let me know. You can also leave your thoughts and if you could tell me what you like or dislike about the story then that helps too. I'm always trying to get better at writing.


	13. Chapter 13: Moonlight Murders Final Part

A/N: The last chapter net me over 1000 views. Thanks to everyone who has read my story and who has faved or followed it or left a review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 13: Moonlight Murders Final Part—The Summoning

3 hours…

I waited in the bookstore for three hours before we actually got around to doing anything. That may not seem like a very long time, but in a situation like this those three hours can make it feel like you were waiting for years.

Garn had disappeared shortly after I had spoken with him. I quickly came to the assumption that he had gone to speak with his contacts.

As I sat there, I began to grow curious and the thought of looking for him had crossed my mind, but then I thought back to my past experiences and all of the stories I've read and seen. Dwelling on them, it didn't take me long to come to the conclusion that doing so would be a bad idea.

_They do say that "curiosity killed the cat" after all._

The voice also recommended that I shouldn't search for them. I guess if I wait long enough that I'll eventually meet them anyway so I continued to sit there.

Davin had fallen asleep a short time ago and I was thankful for that.

Even though he hadn't been out with me that much, I still thought it would be a bad idea for him to have to go through anymore of this crap as I remembered how shaken he had been earlier today.

He doesn't seem like the type, but I also didn't want him to end up following me to the abandoned church where Marcus was.

Some shit was going to go down soon and I didn't want him to get in harm's way.

The three hours eventually came to an end a little after 10PM and I had been looking at my phone when I heard footsteps approach. I looked up from the screen and I saw Garn standing there with a serious expression on his face.

"Come with me." He spoke before walking towards the back.

I put my phone away and I made to follow after him, but something stopped me once I stood up.

I suddenly felt like I was being watched. Now, in my situation, that is a normal feeling to have and I've gotten to the point where I've learned to live with it. This feeling, however, was a lot stronger and gave me the impression that whoever was doing it was close by.

I slowly turned my head so as not to alert anyone and gave the store a careful look.

There was really nothing out of the ordinary or at least for me there wasn't. Davin was still asleep in one of the chairs, there were multiple shelves and bookcases holding all sorts of literature, there was a dark form staring right at me from outside the front store window...

_Wait a minute._

I turned my gaze back to the window and I saw a dark form looking right at me. This didn't last very long as the figure soon disappeared and I just stood there. I wasn't able to get a good look at whoever it was, but it did leave me feeling unsettled.

That's another thing.

Even with my powers, and the voice's assistance, a lot of this actually scares me and the thought of what's to come.

What's even stranger is that I felt something else just now, but I can't tell exactly what it was. I have an idea though I doubt it's the case as it sounds too crazy.

I snapped out of it when I heard Garn calling me and I went to the back.

When I entered the investigation room, it wasn't hard to tell that someone had been here as there was a faint presence. There was also a vial of liquid sitting on the table.

The glass container was small and could easily fit in my pocket. The liquid inside was a light blue with maybe a drop of green. There was also a tag on the bottle that had a picture of a grinning mouth on it. I turned the tag over and I saw these words

'Drink Me.'

_I sometimes wonder why I keep seeing all of these references but I find that I actually enjoy them._

I turned the tag back over and now instead of a grin there were words. They read, "For when you find yourself in a corner."

I looked over at Garn and I asked, "This isn't going to shrink me is it?"

"I can see why you would think that," He replied. "But no it won't. It does however have a very interesting effect and it would be wise to take it with you."

I was a little reluctant, but I ended up taking the bottle and I stuck it in my right pocket.

_I really hope this doesn't bite me in the ass later. With the name Comedian, there has got to be some kind of joke at work._

"Do you have everything sorted out?" I asked him.

Garn nodded. "My associates are in position and are waiting for the main event. We just need to go over how you're going to proceed."

"Shouldn't I just teleport in there?"

"No. Using that might alert Arusia and give her the idea that something is off." He warned me. "This will require a different plan."

"And that would be?"

"Due to how close the summoning is at hand, you will only be able to get within a certain distance of the church." He explained while rubbing his beak. "You will need to teleport just outside that range and head there on foot."

"I suppose that's fine. Can I head out now?"

Garn nodded. "Make sure to exercise caution when you arrive as they're not alone and don't forget about the potion. It could end up saving your life."

"I will and I won't."

I stepped out into the main room and from there I reappeared on a street in a less populated area of the city. I could see a part of the church from where I was standing but I wasn't close enough to get a good look.

"_Since we're getting closer, I'm not going to lend you any assistance or communicate with you." The voice said. "You'll have to take care of everything yourself for now, but when Arusia makes herself known the others and I will step in."_

"_All right," I simply responded._

"_And don't forget the idea we talked about earlier." The voice reminded._

"_I won't."_

I started walking down the street and I continued to do so until I saw a ripple in the air. I reached forward with both hands and I felt some kind of force make contact with my palms. It wasn't like a shield that kept me out but more like a bubble in a way.

_This is it._

I pushed against it and once I passed through I had to shake my head due to the sudden dizziness that I had experienced.

I continued onwards and so far everything was good. Nothing popped out at me like I thought it would and I hadn't been attacked yet. When I finally arrived at the church, I knew that that was going to change very quickly.

There was a tall, black metal fence that surrounded the entirety of the property and there was a tall gate in front of me that was currently closed. Behind the fence, there was a graveyard that had a dirt path winding through it and it traveled to the front doors of the building.

The church was mainly built with brick and stone and there were a few spots around the structure where pieces had broken off. The exterior also had vines and other plants growing around different areas and the tombstones and graves in front of the church weren't much different. All of it had been worn down by time and yet it was all strangely beautiful.

_I have a unique taste in things. I find that places like this and other areas that are less frequented have a certain charm to them. I also have a taste for the dark, but not the violent. People rely on using violence to gross out others too much nowadays rather than writing a good story._

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the gate and I slowly pushed it open.

As expected, it let out a loud squeak that was sure to alert whatever was lurking around here to my presence. I stepped through the gateway onto the path and I took a few steps and stopped. The reason why is that I was waiting for the gate to either slowly close on its own or slam shut. That's what usually happens in these situations anyways.

I took a few more steps and still nothing.

_Come on dammit._

I went a little bit farther and it finally decided to play the middleman and close on its own with some speed.

_There you go._

I know that it may seem like a silly thing to get worked up over or to be concerned about, but I knew that it was coming and I wanted to get it out of the way.

The gate generated some noise when it closed and with it I heard some movement. The ground started to rumble and I saw the corpses of different anthros start to rise from the earth.

_I always wondered how I would fare in a zombie apocalypse._

It was at this point that I thought it would be a good time to try another move. I really enjoy my "ring of fire" but it can be dangerous especially when I'm surrounded by enemies and I have to risk hurting myself. I talked with the voice earlier as I was waiting and this was an idea the two of us came up with. It takes some influence from my first fight with the slimes.

I pulled out my lighter and I started off by surrounding myself with a ring. I then shaped it into a sphere that surrounded me completely and I gave it a spin to make the flames burn my enemies faster. I also made it to where my vision wasn't blocked in anyway.

_There would be no point to it if I couldn't see._

This new ability was pretty much a defensive version of the "ring of fire" and it was more powerful in that regard while the ring was better used offensively. The sphere could also be expelled over a small area which wouldn't put my health at risk.

I then turned towards the zombies and let a grin adorn my face.

_This should be fun._

The zombies didn't slowly limp my way like I thought they would. They turned out to be some of the more modern kind that runs at you. This became pretty obvious when they started charging at me and it only surprised me momentarily before I fought back.

I summoned my tendrils from my back and they stretched through the sphere to either side of me. I shot out a few fireballs which they managed to dodge and it would have worked had I not impaled a few of them right as they landed. I threw them into the air and I shot a few more fireballs at them which met their mark.

I tried to do this again, but most of them were able to dodge it this time. It looks like they're learning. That's really odd because zombies aren't supposed to be capable of thought and they just run at you without any fear for themselves.

_They might not be zombies._

There were 15 more of these bastards I had to fight and I hadn't noticed any large presences yet so I assumed that Carmelita was still okay.

I sunk two of the tendrils into my back and I ran forward. A few of them came to meet me and I was able to dodge their swings when they attacked. I found that these zombies were slower than the super slime I fought a week back. They tried to hit me fast enough to where they wouldn't suffer any damage but they still got burned.

I grabbed my lighter with one of my tendrils as I moved behind a couple of the zombies and I placed my hands on the back of their heads. A tendril then shot out of the palms of my hands and pierced through their skulls which stopped them.

_I'm going by what I learned from the movies._

I managed to do this a few more times before they wised up.

I was now down to 10. The remaining zombies decided to switch tactics and resorted to attacking me from long range. They managed to pull up some of the surrounding tombstones and they started hurling them at me faster than I thought possible. I couldn't allow one of them to hit me.

Narrowly avoiding being hit, I ran at them again with an idea.

With some difficulty, I was able to get in the center of them and I summoned a ring of fire around all of us as fast as I could. Luckily, the zombies just stood there not knowing what I was doing and were now trapped between the sphere surrounding me and the ring.

Seeing that everything was ready, I pulled the ring inwards and expelled the sphere at the same time which created a powerful blast that left me walking away unscathed.

_The ring of fire has become more trump card as this point._

I put my tendrils away and stuck my lighter back in my pocket. I then walked over to one of the charred corpses to see if I could find out anything and I saw something climb out of the corpse's mouth.

It was a small creature that basically looked like a ball of fluff with arms and legs. Its fur was white and it had a glow about it like ghosts tend to do. It had sharp claws on its hands and feet and I could see a sharp set of teeth in its mouth. Its eyes were also completely black.

I grabbed ahold of the creature by the back and I brought it up to my face though not close enough to where it could bite or scratch me.

"Can you understand me?" I asked normally.

_I've never seen this creature before and I won't treat it like it's mentally challenged._

The creature just blinked at me like it wasn't sure what to do.

"Can you understand me? If you can, please speak up because I want to get this out of the way so I can waltz in there," I said while pointing at the church, "and beat the shit out of Marcus."

"Are you here to stop him?"

"No. I'm actually here to deliver pizza." I said sarcastically. "But I thought that while I was here that I might as well take care of it. So do you think you can tell me why you attacked me and what you are?"

"I am what is known as a Verzevant. My kind dwells inside the bodies of the deceased." He answered. "As to why we attacked, we've been facing problems ever since that chameleon came and he brought something nasty with him. To avoid a quick death, we decided to keep anyone who could interfere with their plans away."

"I can understand that although I am still irritated." I replied. "To avoid any more of this, do you think you can tell anyone else waiting for me to stand down? I don't want to get tired out before the final fight that will end all of this."

"I can do that." He answered. "Just carry me with you until we reach the front of the church. If the others see me then they won't attack you."

I closed my hand around him and I walked towards the church again.

"By the way, you're not a kid are you?"

He seemed a little confused. "No I'm not. Why do you ask?"

"Another creature is currently in my care and I made the mistake of assuming he was an adult based on his size." I explained. "I didn't want to make the same mistake again."

A few other not-zombies popped up along the path, but once they saw the creature with me they backed off.

When I got to the doors, I set the creature down and watched him disappear before turning back and mentally preparing myself. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I slowly pushed the doors open.

The interior of the church looked a little better than the outside, but had still been affected just the same.

The stone floor was covered in dirt and dust and there were broken pieces of wood and other pieces of garbage scattered about. Some of the windows had been boarded up and there were a few spots where I could see what looked like water damage. The ceiling had an archway pattern and further towards the front there were still a few pews that were still mainly intact.

At the very front, where a minister or pastor would speak, was Marcus and he had a knife grasped in both hands which was hovering over Carmelita. Behind him, there was a circular glass window that had another one of those markings on it.

I noticed a large stone on the ground next to me and I picked it up with one of my tendrils.

He raised the knife into the air. "With this, we'll be reunited once more!"

_Not on my watch you're not._

I pulled back and shot the stone through the air just before he plunged the knife into her. The stone slammed into Marcus' side and he flew back into the wall.

It would take him a moment to recover from that so I took my chance and I moved up and grabbed Carmelita. For whatever reason she was still unconscious, but I'm not going to complain because it makes things easier for me. I went back to the doors and I set her down against the wall so she wouldn't get in the way.

I made my way back to Marcus and saw that he was now rising from the floor.

"Who and what are you?" He asked confused.

"Hello, I'm Isaac and I'm a dimensional traveler." I spoke with a smile before my expression turned to anger. "And you fucked up real bad so I'm here to kick your ass."

His face filled with recognition. "You're that wolf from before aren't you?"

"Yeah I am. With the crap you've pulled I didn't think you'd be smart enough to figure it out that quickly." I clapped my hands a few times. "Congratulations."

_I wonder where Garn and the others are. They said they'd step in once I stopped this guy. I guess I'll just keep going._

"I'm not going to let you get in the way. Mother and I will be together again."

I just laughed. "I could just tell you that you're being strung along by a fraud, but you'll most likely tell me how your "mother" said I'm lying again so let's just fight already. I'm getting tired of listening to your crap."

"I'm going to beat you and then mother…"

_Pow!_

I punched him in the face which snapped his head back and I followed it up with a kick to the stomach.

"You talk too much."

He was pissed now. "I'm going to kill you!"

I made the "bring it on gesture". "Come get me then."

Marcus ran at me and tried to hit me, but failed to land even a single hit. It quickly became obvious that he was slower than the not-zombies outside who were slower than the slimes. Dodging his blows, I pulled my arm back and gave him a right hook to the side of the face.

"You're going to have to move faster than that if you want your "mother" back." I taunted.

_I've learned from experience that if you piss off someone enough in a fight then they'll start to get sloppy._

The fight didn't take very long and it ended with Marcus on his back beneath the glass window. I had given him a black eye and a bloody nose. There were probably a few bruises on his as well and I didn't go far enough to break any bones.

Marcus weakly reached out towards the marking. "Mother, I can't beat him. I'm sorry I can't be with you again."

The mark on the glass started to glow and I felt an intense pressure which forced me down onto one knee. I then heard a voice.

"_Don't worry son." Arusia said. "I'll help you and make the bad man go away. I would never let anything happen to my little boy."_

A purple aura surrounded Marcus' body and he was lifted into the air and set back onto his feet.

All of his wounds started to disappear and when he was completely healed some of it went into his body through his nose. He suddenly got a very evil look in his eyes and they turned blood red. His muscles expanded and he became a little taller. He then sent me a glare and the purple aura continued to move around him instead of dissipating.

"_Now go forth my son and take care of him and then we'll be together again."_

Marcus ran at me again except this time he was much faster.

I quickly jumped out of the way and I summoned my tendrils knowing that this would be a harder fight. He turned around and picked up one of the pews which he started swinging at me. Due to the state of it, it quickly broke to pieces when he tried a downwards strike with it. I was able to dodge, but this wouldn't last forever.

I suddenly felt another pressure except this one didn't affect me and I knew right away that the others were on the move. Unfortunately, this served as a distraction for me and Marcus managed to his meet in the chest which sent me flying back.

I managed to stop myself by shooting my tendrils into the floor. I rubbed my chest and I coughed a few times before I noticed that he was charging again. I managed to dodge him again as he ran past me and slammed into the wall. Seeing this, I quickly took my tendrils and raining blows onto his back with them.

They managed to have some effect and the force of them causing him to break through the wall and fall to the ground outside. I put some distance between us and I waited for him to reappear.

He didn't reappear where I thought he would and instead crashed through one of the boarded up windows and right into me. He slammed me into the opposite wall and I thought I heard a few ribs break. Marcus backed up and I slid down the wall to the floor.

He then walked away from me and towards Carmelita who I'm surprised hasn't woken up with all of this. He picked her up and he started to carry her back towards the marking. Seeing this, I used my tendrils to get up and to follow after him.

I pulled out my lighter and I shot a fireball at his back which burned his skin and caused him to let out a roar of pain. Marcus set her down and charged at me again.

I came up with an idea and right as he passed me I sent a couple of my tendrils forth and grabbed ahold of his legs while the others kept me steady. Marcus fell down and I slowly raised him into the air. He only hung there for a moment before I started my attack.

I swung him around the entire church. Marcus crashed into the remaining pews, the ceiling and best of all, the floor. I knew that this attack might not work a second time so I didn't let up. This lasted for some time and when I felt it was enough I raised him up to the ceiling and slammed him into the ground one more time.

Marcus was still breathing, but I didn't think he was going to be getting back up anytime soon.

_Oh how wrong I was._

I saw more of the purple aura appear and it flowed into him which healed him again and made him even bigger. I then saw something that took some of the fight out of me.

A few tears rolled down his face.

Marcus ran at me and it was actually easier to avoid him this time. Rather than continuing the fight, I just watched him trying to think of what to do. I can't even imagine how much damage is being done to his body.

"_I'm back." The voice spoke._

"_It's about damn time. Are you all set up?" I asked._

"_Some of us are on the other side of the portal to make sure Arusia can't turn back." He then saw the condition Marcus was in. "I think now would be a good time to take the potion. It'll help with the idea we discussed earlier."_

Following his advice, I took out the vial and I drank all of it. I didn't notice anything different at first, but that soon changed.

A green glow appeared and it wrapped itself around my entire body. Rather than physically changing, it covered my body like a mask and I ended up taking on the appearance of Marcus' mother. I did a quick check to make sure everything was in order.

_Thank goodness for that. I don't really care for gender bending and it rarely works._

Marcus turned around and when he saw me his expression changed to one of happiness and sadness. His eyes turned back to normal and he no longer wanted to kill me. He slowly walked up to me and was a little shocked that I was here.

"Mother?"

I then found words spilling out of my mouth that were not my own.

"Yes I'm here son and I'm going to make everything all better." His mother said. "Do you remember what I taught you about strangers?"

Marcus nodded. "You said not to talk to them because they might have ill intentions and to come get you."

His mother smiled. "You need to listen to Isaac. The woman that has been talking to you is a stranger who has been posing as me."

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I thought it was you."

"I know and I forgive you. You were not in control of yourself and now that I'm here things are going to be all right."

She opened her arms and Marcus hugged her/me gently. He could never bring himself to harm his mother. As he cried into her/my shoulder, I moved to the next step of our plan.

_Let's do this._

I placed both of my hands on his head and formed a telepathic link with him. All of the memories that I had seen flowed into Marcus' mind along with a few additional ones from the potion. Once I was finished, Marcus stumbled back and he started to look sick.

A black fog flowed out of his body and it was accompanied by the purple aura from before. Marcus slowly shrank back down to normal and some of his wounds reappeared as he did. The two auras mixed together and tried to go back to the window.

The green glow disappeared and I looked like myself again. I was happy at first until I felt something else take over. I saw my body move forward and it destroyed the auras. There was suddenly a loud scream and I became light-headed again.

"_I've come too far to lose now!" Arusia yelled. "I'll be back and you and Garn and the rest will end up being destroyed."_

"_No you won't." The voice replied. "You're going to die today."_

_There came a laugh. "That's what you think. Your friends may have blocked my way back but I discovered another means of escape and you won't be able to stop me."_

I felt my control return and I had to ask, "If what she says is true then how do we stop her?"

"_I'm not sure. The only thing I can think of would be to kill the last victim, but that isn't a good option and as you said she'll be needed later."_

I heard footsteps and I saw Marcus approaching. I was actually surprised that he hasn't fallen unconscious yet.

"I'll give myself up." He said. "I can't live with myself for what I've done and I want to make amends."

"You know that that is a very stupid idea right?"

"I know it is, but there doesn't seem to be any other way."

Marcus slowly made his way over to the window and was prepared to die, but I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Isn't there anything I can do? This can't be the only solution."

_The voice then asked me, "Would you be willing to die in his place?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_What I mean is that there is a way where you can die, but also live." He replied. "Think of it like your body being temporarily put to sleep. Everything will slow down to a halt, but your spirit will not depart from your body._

"_Can I recover from it?"_

"_It should take some time." He told me. "But you should be completely fine later."_

"_Let's do it then."_

I saw Marcus with the knife in his hand and he was about to cut his throat open. Seeing this, I walked up behind him and delivered a powerful blow to his head which knocked him out. I grabbed him under his arms and I dragged him away before I came back. I lied down on my back beneath the window and I gave the voice the go-ahead.

I then lost consciousness as the mark glowed once more and a portal appeared.

Garn

Garn appeared inside of the church as the portal opened and there were five other figures with him. He ordered two of them to see to Isaac, Marcus and Carmelita and they carried the three of them off to safety.

Using his powers, Garn dragged Arusia's upper body through the portal and boy was she scared to see him. The other three figures held her in place so that she couldn't get away.

"You reap what you sow." He told her simply.

She wasn't as attractive as her voice might have indicated. She had long black hair that was in terrible condition and she had grey skin like that of a corpse. She was also many times bigger than Isaac and has sharp claws at the end of her hands. In place of eyes, she just had two empty sockets that her hair fell over and her teeth were stained red.

Her form was probably twisted by all of the dark crap she delved into.

"For the murder of Eckzern and for betraying us, you are sentenced to death. Do you have any last words?" Garn asked.

She tried to say something, but no sound came out.

"Very well, if no one has anything to add then let's get this finished."

Arusia slid back a little bit due to the beings at the other end of the portal pulling her back some. Garn walked to the window and he destroyed it and the marking with ease which closed it while the figures at the other end closed their side. This resulted in Arusia being cut in half horizontally.

There was no blood present like one would think there would be. There was however a lot of silent screaming. Garn and the others along with the ones at the other end destroyed both halves of her body and Arusia was completely gone.

One of the figures laughed. "Well that was fun. It's been too long since we've all done something like this."

"It can be fun." Another one replied. "I just wish that Eckzern was still alive."

"It's unfortunate, but we can't dwell on it. Things are always continuing and they're not going to stop so we can cry over it." Yet another figure said.

"What are we going to do with them?" One asked referring to Isaac and the others.

"Isaac said that the young vixen is important so we'll return her to her family."

"What about the other one?"

"His name is Marcus and Isaac took pity on him due to him being controlled." The voice responded. "I guess we can heal him and then figure out things from there."

"Is everyone in agreement?" Garn asked.

They all nodded and then disappeared.

Isaac

I woke up sometime later and I saw that I was in my bed back at my house. I heard breathing next to me and I looked over to see Davin sleeping on top of the covers. I smiled a little and figured that he must have been worried about me.

I pushed myself off of the bed and I found that I felt completely fine. I guess I was out long enough to heal. I took a quick shower and changed into a black shirt and some jeans. My stomach rumbled and I went downstairs to my kitchen to find a huge meal had already been prepared for me.

It was more like a buffet than a meal as it had bits of everything. There was pasta, pizza, steak, burger you name it. I started devouring everything and it took me a moment to notice that there was a newspaper sitting on the counter nearby.

I wiped my hands and mouth and grabbed ahold of it. I was surprised when I looked at the front cover.

**The English Times**

Sunday, March 24, ****

**The Gray Wolf of London**

Late Friday night, an anonymous tip was received by the police about a possible clue as to the whereabouts of the killer. Following up on it, the police discovered an old home out in the countryside which acted as the killer's base of operations.

They later reported to Wick Street when a fire was called in at a nearby church and they found remains inside that are believed to have belonged to the killer. The police refuse to give any information on the killer's identity, but it has been confirmed that he is no longer living.

On a related note, earlier that evening, one Carmelita Montoya Fox was said to have been abducted by the killer and was rescued by a gray wolf. It has been reported that his features were hidden and that he apparently has the power to teleport.

The same figure was also reported by the young girl who was kidnapped on Thursday. They claim that he is real, but it is believed that they merely hallucinated or imagined this character due to grief or fear.

The paper then showed a drawing of what I am supposed to look like. The rendering was actually pretty badass and made me feel good about myself. I set the paper aside and I continued eating.

After a short while, I heard someone and I saw Davin enter the kitchen.

"You did a really good job making all of this." I complimented him. "It all tastes excellent."

Davin just snickered. "I didn't make any of that."

"If you didn't then who did? And please don't tell me someone did something weird to this."

"The food is fine." He replied. "And I know who made it but I'm not telling."

"Why not?" I asked with interest.

"Because I was told not to tell you and that you would greatly enjoy finding out who did it." He spoke with a smile.

"Whatever."

I finished eating and I went and sat down on the couch in my living room. There were still a few things that were bugging me.

"_Do you remember that potion I drank a couple days ago?" I asked._

"_What about it?"_

"_Can you tell me how that works?"_

_The voice sighed. "It would be too complicated to explain, but Comedian followed us while we were out and he collected copies of the memories from each location we visited. He then removed the taint and turned it into a potion which projected his mother's image and personality onto you. When you spoke to Marcus, his actual mother briefly took over as a result."_

_The voice continued. "He was also able to track down Marcus' mother and sister and freed the taint from them while also collecting some of their own memories. Comedian is currently trying to track down the creature that lent Arusia his assistance."_

"_Can you tell me what happened to Marcus?"_

"_He's fine." The voice reassured. "Due to Arusia's control over him and the taint within, he had to be taken somewhere to receive proper treatment. His mother and sister didn't need it because only their memories were messed with. You might see him again one day."_

"_By the way, you didn't happen to see or sense anyone else around did you?" I inquired. "I ran into this little white furball and I was wondering if they were still alive."_

"_If you're talking about the Verzevant then they're all fine. They managed to get away."_

"_Thanks for telling me all of this." I told him._

"_Don't mention it." The voice replied._

I lied back on the couch and reflected on all that had happened to me.

_I need to go on a vacation._

A/N: For this chapter, I originally planned to have a blood scene that would end up making the story an M rating, but I don't think I'll do that now since I went in another direction. That doesn't mean that the rating will never change, but I'll have to wait and see which way the story goes.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should type some more chapters covering Isaac and different creatures and things he might run into or if I should do a massive time skip to where Sly and the Gang start stealing and just give basic information on what happened as the years passed by.

I just started a poll on my profile page and I'm curious to see what you guys think.

If you see any mistakes or ways in which I can improve then please let me know. Or if you just like the story or don't then please leave me a review telling me why.


	14. Chapter 14: Time Sure Flies

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 14: Time Sure Flies

10 years…

It has been 10 years since I was taken from my home by the Slender Man, since I've ended up in the Sly Cooper universe and since I gained my powers.

Quite a lot has happened in that time.

I've become a lot more powerful than I used to be and I've bulked up a bit. I'm not the biggest guy around, but I don't think anyone around here is going to be giving me any problems. My build is a cross between muscular and athletic as I like to keep everything balanced and I've learned to do some pretty amazing things with my abilities.

A long time ago, I came up with the idea to bring some of the music from my own world to this one. Once I got a hold of _"__**Impersonation**__"_ I went through with it and this world now has music from some of the greatest bands that ever existed such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

In the process of doing this, I ended up taking on another persona. My new persona was a wolf just as Victor was except the fur for this one was black instead of gray and he had gold eyes instead of blue. The name that I came up with for him was Jack "Traveler" Floyd with the last name obviously being taken from my favorite band.

Using my phone, I copied down all of the songs from those bands back home and I had them copyrighted underneath my new identity. A small part of me felt guilty at first as some might see this as stealing, but I did it more for the appreciation of music rather than for the money. Plus, it's not like I needed the money anyway what with the amount I made from stealing.

I listened to some of the bands and music that they had over here and it was all right, but it didn't come anywhere close to the quality of music back home or at least from the time when you actually had to be a good musician to be famous.

I also made sure that none of the bands I used existed here or had parodies before using the music and I was relieved to find that they didn't.

Over the years, I traveled back to London numerous times, among other areas, and it was there that I formed my band "Blue Vortex." The crowds, as I thought they would, really took to us and we blew the other bands out of the water.

I wanted to give the people as close to the genuine article as I could.

I eventually caught wind of The Beatles parody, The Oscars, and I went to see one of their performances. The people loved their music, but I honestly felt like I was slapped in the face. As I watched them, I decided that I was going to have to pay them a visit.

The day after the show, I went to where they had been staying and we all had a nice, long conversation.

They seemed a little angry at first when I showed up unannounced like I did, but that soon changed when I showed them what real anger looks like. My visit lasted for a few hours and I made sure to cover everything.

I convinced them to have more respect for each other and to allow everyone to express their artistic vision. I brought major improvements to their music and brought it closer to the level of the original Beatles. I also made sure that everything that caused the originals to split up never came to pass.

When I was finished speaking, I had them sign a few things for me and I went on my way while leaving a warning to not screw anything up or else I would be back.

It might seem a little strange that I had them sign things for me when I had a low opinion of their music, but they were mainly souvenirs. I also wanted to have a reminder of this day and if they get as famous as the originals did one day then I'll have another unique item in my possession.

Aside from that, my reputation as a thief also went up and I'm currently one of the most wanted thieves on Interpol's Wanted List and Sly and The Gang would eventually join me up there.

During my heists, no pictures were ever taken of me or any other imagery and I never left any clues behind.

I did, however, leave behind a calling card. It was basically just a gray card in the shape of a wolf's head and it had my alias "Folklore" written on the back. While I like to stay hidden, I want them to know that I did it.

Like Sly, I only made sure to steal from people who deserved it and from places that presented a challenge.

When I started my thieving career, I thought back to what Sly said in the first game. In the first animated cutscene, where it tells his past, he says that "his family specializes in stealing from criminals. After all, there is no honor, no challenge, no fun in stealing from ordinary people. You rip off a master criminal and you know you're a master thief."

I happened to agree with this and I actually ended up giving some of my money to the less fortunate. There were a few items that I decided to keep and I kept a vast majority of the wealth.

I came to the decision that when I leave this place one day that I would leave my wealth and valuables in a vault or location somewhere like Sly's ancestors did. I would then give the location of it to the gang and let them do whatever they want with it.

After all, these items will really only be valuable here and won't do me much good elsewhere.

As to my personal life, well, everything seems to be going all right.

Davin is still living with me and I've been trying to teach him the ways of the world as best as I can while shielding him from darker subject matter.

He hasn't really changed that much in the time that he has been with me and he still acts like a kid. When this came to my attention, I asked him about it and he informed me that puca live a lot longer than regular people do. I then asked him how much longer, but he couldn't remember so I let it go.

I still frequent "The Wandering Specter," but the place isn't as fun as it used to be.

A few years into my stay here, Felicia ended up leaving for somewhere so she could attend college or take care of some family business. I was never told the exact reason why she left or where. They just told me it was for something important.

While we were never officially in a relationship, I won't deny that there were some feelings there. I never acted on them and we continued to stay friends. I've come to regret this a little and I think the reason why I was bothered before might be because some part of me saw her as an animal even though I know she's not a mere beast.

There's another part of me, however, that says that's not the case.

Love can be too damn confusing sometimes.

As for the book, I still can't find the key that goes to it and I've probably used hundreds of them on the book by now. I've looked in many different places and I haven't been able to find anything. It's almost like that book is mocking me.

I haven't learned anything about my benefactors either and I haven't really received anymore messages or packages from them either. I decided that they would contact me when they needed to and left it at that.

At least I hadn't run into the Slender Man or any of his friends yet.

There is one thing that I'm not really sure how to feel about. It was hard to see at first, but it became more noticeable over the years. I was initially upset about this, but now I'm not so sure how I should feel.

I've stopped aging.

When I asked about it, the voice revealed that this was a side effect of whatever was done to me and is passive in nature like my resistance to all poisons and sicknesses. I then asked him if I was a proxy which I had been wondering about for a while and he simply stated that I was something more and left it at that.

Finally, I kept a close eye on Sly and The Gang over the years.

I made sure that they all developed properly and that they were well taken care of. At different points in the years, I would also swing by and leave gifts, clothes and anything else that they needed. There was never a time that I wasn't keeping an eye on them.

I also made sure to watch over Carmelita as well after that business with Marcus and Arusia.

About 2 years before the events of _Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus_, I traveled around the world and I checked up on the Fiendish Five. They were all where they were supposed to be, but things were different.

I think that my appearance in this world frightened them as everything looked more beefed up and dangerous than it was in the game. Each location had more goons and security measures that would make things a lot more difficult for the gang.

My main concern of the five was Mz. Ruby rather than Clockwerk.

I didn't get too close, but there was some serious shit going on over there and I think that when the time comes that I might have to take care of that alone and keep Sly in the van.

After I saw all this, I started some of the gang's development early.

I didn't do anything too heavy and I tried to stick to things that wouldn't alter the flow of the games too much. For instance, I didn't bring about "The Murray," but I did get him to bulk up a bit and become a better fighter. He wasn't as strong as he would eventually be, but I got him to the point where he would do a better job of assisting Sly in the field.

I left Sly and Bentley alone for the most part, but I did end up teaching all three how to swim.

Actually, it would be more like I gave them the knowledge without them knowing. At one point, when they were younger, I appeared in the orphanage while they were asleep and I copied the knowledge to them through a telepathic link. The voice told me that there wouldn't be any negative side effects so I went through with it.

Aside from all of this, I pretty much continued the same routine throughout the years. I trained my abilities, I fought creatures from another dimension every once in a while and I relaxed.

Things were going pretty well so far and I continued this cycle until the events of the first game started.

===The Present: 10 Years In===

Paris, France 4:20 AM

Sly

He ran along the Paris rooftops towards the police station and as he did a sound went off that Isaac, who was in wolf form, heard back in the van. Isaac let out a quiet laugh at the thought of earning a trophy.

"_If it wasn't for little things like that," Isaac thought, "then I might have lost it by now. I'm a little surprised I haven't gone crazy with all of this."_

Sly soon came to a stop on top of the Police HQ and he pulled out his Binocucom.

"Sly! Come in! Sly! Do you read me?" Bentley practically shouted.

"Yeah. I read you." Sly replied. "Loud and…very loud."

"Sorry. I'm a little nervous. Trying to break into police headquarters does that."

"Get over it, Bentley." Sly spoke with irritation. "You're safe in the van. I'm the thief here. I've got to steal that file from Inspector Carmelita Fox."

"Well, count on me to be your eyes and ears, buddy." Bentley said while nodding his head. "Got their security system totally scoped. To get inside, you're gonna have to do through that air vent."

"All right, I'm going in."

"And don't forget you've got me at the wheel, Sly." Murray added excitedly. "All you got to do is grab the file and get back to the van. We'll do the rest."

"And I'm here in case anything weird happens." Isaac said. "Murphy's Law always seems to be in place with me around."

"You mean like how you can transform?" Murray asked.

Bentley spoke up, "I'm still interested in how you were able to do that."

"Guys, we're getting off subject here." Sly spoke with some annoyance. "Just keep the engine running, Murray. I'll be down in no time."

Sly put his Binocucom away and he ran to the nearby water tower. When he got there, he saw sparkling blue lights and he pulled his Binocucom back out again.

"Hey Bentley, I think I'm seeing things." Sly said in disbelief. "Must be vertigo or something."

A noise then went off.

_There's another one._

"Can you see those crazy blue lights?"

"Really?" I've read about this." Bentley spoke with interest. "Master raccoon thieves are able to sense thieving opportunities which manifest themselves as unexplainable blue auras. According to my research, all you have to do is get near them and hold down the circle button and you should perform a super sneaky master thief move."

Sly was confused. "Bentley, what do you mean by the circle button?"

"I'm sorry." Bentley apologized. "I have no idea where that came from."

"What Bentley means is that you should press your back to the side of the water tower and walk along the ledge to get to the air vent." Isaac said stepping in.

"That's basically the idea I was trying to get across." Bentley added.

"So I need to carefully sneak along ledges with blue auras. I'm on it."

"And watch out for your girlfriend." Isaac quickly replied before the connection stopped.

Sly just shook his head with a grin and crept along the water tower. At the other side, he used the nearby antennas to reach the vent which he then smashed open.

Walking through the vent, he quickly came to a room with lasers everywhere.

"Be extra careful here, Sly. Break one of those laser beams and you'll set off the alarms." Bentley warned. "Not to mention you'll be fried to a crisp."

Sly jumped down and managed to avoid every laser. When he reached the bottom, he smashed the alarm with his cane and this caused the door to open.

"Nice job. You're in. Inspector Carmelita Fox's office is behind the red door."

Sly ran around until he found her door, but unfortunately it was locked. He then noticed that the nearby window was open and that there was more of the blue aura from before. Seeing this, he carefully walked along the ledge until he reached an open window granting him access to her office.

"Way to go, Sly." Bentley congratulated. "This is where Inspector Carmelita Fox stashes all her important files. I hacked into the police security mainframe and discovered this vault's combo. Try dialing in 9-3-7."

Sly approached the vault and put in the code.

After he did, Isaac heard some music play through the connection as the vault opened and the others actually seemed to hear it as well this time.

"Did you guys hear that too?" Murray asked from the driver's seat.

Isaac laughed. "That's just the game mechanics. It's nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean "game mechanics?" Bentley inquired.

Still smiling, Isaac replied. "I might explain it later if I remember."

_And if it doesn't tear the universe apart. I've read some fanfics before and I've never seen that happen, but the characters usually react negatively to the news that they're a game or something else._

Sly reached into the vault and he grabbed the file on the Fiendish Five.

"Nice job!" Murray said. "You got it! If you come down through the fire escape and head through the parking lot, we'll be waiting in the getaway van."

"And when you go through the window prepare to run like hell." Isaac mentioned. "Your girlfriend is going to be right there when you do and she's got a shock pistol."

"Thanks Isaac." Sly responded. "I guess I'll have a little chat with our favorite Inspector."

Sly put the file away and he placed his calling card in its place. He then left Carmelita's office and sure enough she appeared just as Isaac said she would.

"Criminal!"

Sly looked up and he saw Carmelita appear on the rooftop across from him. She then jumped down and landed on the sign on the side of the building.

"You foolish raccoon!" She spoke with anger. "I've caught you red-handed."

"Ahh…Carmelita," Sly said with mild surprise. "I haven't seen you since I gave you the slip in Bombay."

"Which reminds me-you need to return the Fire Stone of India to its rightful owners."

"Aw, and I was going to give it to you as a little token of my-hey, you know that bazooka really brings out the color of your eyes. Very fetching" Sly flirted while making light of the situation.

"You think? This pistol packs a paralyzing punch. You ought to try it." Carmelita replied annoyed. "Might snap you out of your crime spree."

"And give up our little rendezvous?"

"Plenty of time for that once you're safely behind bars."

"Love to stick around and chat, but I just dropped by to pick up this case file. I think you've had it long enough." Sly responded with a little seriousness.

Sly then ran down the fire escape, which was then partially destroyed by the Inspector's blasts, and he made his way into the parking lot. Sly ran through it as Carmelita fired at him and destroyed a few police cars. The van was in sight and he jumped into the back once the doors opened and we all sped off.

Carmelita stood there shaking her fist at us and yelled, "You can't escape me raccoon!"

As they sped off, Isaac zoned out and started to see the opening movie for the game.

It mentioned Sly's past and how he lost his parents and how the Thievius Raccoonus was stolen. The major difference was that Isaac was included in that opening. He could hear Sly's voice speaking and it mentioned how after they had slain his father that this strange being appeared and drove them off.

It also mentioned how they didn't really know much about him, but still considered Isaac a part of the group. Bentley and Murray were mentioned as well and how they pledged to get the book back.

"I knew I was about to face the toughest test of my life. On this mission, I would either become a master thief like my ancestors before me or fail and allow my family name to bite the dust." Sly finished.

Isaac shook his head and came back to.

_It's been a long ass time since I've seen that. I wonder if I'm an actual character in the game now and people back home can play as me. That would be awesome._

"Are you okay Isaac?" Bentley asked a little concerned.

"I'm fine." Isaac responded. "I was just watching the opening movie."

"What opening movie?" He asked clearly confused.

"That will all be revealed in time." Isaac stated cryptically.

Bentley just shook his head and turned back to his computer while Isaac decided to rest his eyes for the moment. I stared at the file while thoughts of reclaiming my inheritance swirled through my head and this continued until we reached our Paris hideout.

===The Next Morning===

Isaac

I woke up to the sound of an alarm and saw that it was 8AM in the morning. I turned if off and I left my room. When I stepped outside, I smelled a pleasing aroma flowing through the air and I knew that Davin was making something delicious.

_I can make my own food, but having had Davin with me all these years has been great. He can cook way better than I could ever hope to and he's able to tell me if some otherworldly creature is approaching or nearby._

I stepped into the kitchen and saw that Davin had made quite the spread. There were sausages, bacon, eggs and hash browns along with pancakes, toast, biscuits and fruit. It was the ultimate spread.

I took a seat and it wasn't long before I heard the others woke up. The three of them soon came walking into the kitchen and they seemed a little surprised that such a great breakfast had been prepared. Murray beat the two of them to the table and started to dig in.

"This is great." Murray said with gusto. "Thanks for making breakfast bud."

"I didn't make any of this Murray." I replied as the others sat down.

"If you didn't then who did?" Bentley asked.

"Just eat your breakfast for now. You'll find out in a moment."

The four of us stopped talking and we dug in to our meals. As we kept eating, the others were surprised by how much I could put away and even more so that I out ate Murray. When we were finished, I called for Davin and he was soon standing by my side in his wolf form.

"Who's the kid?" Sly asked.

"Everyone, this is Davin. Say hello Davin."

"Hello." He said while giving them a brief wave.

"He is the one who made our breakfast and he's here because there are some things I need to tell all of you." I spoke to them. "Davin, could you please transform for me."

"Not a problem." He replied as he changed to his shorter, original form.

"Fascinating," Bentley said with interest as he got up to take a closer look. "I've never heard of or seen such a creature that was capable of changing its form."

_I guess he's not including me as I'm not really a creature._

"To answer your question Bentley, Davin is a puca." I replied like a teacher to a student. "A puca is a shapeshifting creature primarily found in Irish folklore. They are able to assume a variety of forms of which the most common is a black horse with glowing, golden eyes. They are also great chefs as you have just experienced here."

"What is he doing here?" Sly asked curiously as he took everything in stride.

"Well, as you remember, I'm not actually a wolf." I answered before turning to my regular form. "I'm what is known as a human and I thought it would be a good idea to give you some of my background before we go after the first of the Fiendish Five."

I took a deep breath and exhaled as I saw Bentley pull out a pen and a little notepad.

"As you may or may not have figured out, I'm not actually from this dimension. I'm actually…Yes Bentley?"

"What do you mean you're not from this dimension?"

"Are you aware of the Multiverse theory?"

"Yes. The Multiverse theory basically states that our own universe is not the only one out there and that there are in fact many universes that exist parallel to each other." Bentley answered before continuing. "It also implies that for every idea, there exists a universe where those events have or will take place."

"That is correct." I replied. "It turns out that that is true as I didn't originally come from here. I actually passed through another universe to this one when I was taken from my own."

"That's cool, but why are you telling us now?" Sly asked.

"I'm telling you because I'm being hunted and weird crap has been following me since I got here." I responded a little irritated. "I just wanted to let you guys know that if you see anything strange or if you see any creatures not of this world then avoid them and let me handle it."

"That is amazing!" Bentley commented as he scribbled away. "Do you know the method with which you get here?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately I don't. I know that someone brought me here, but I'm afraid I don't know who it was although I do have my suspicions."

"Do you think we can discuss this more later?" Bentley asked.

I nodded. "Yeah that's fine. Plus I think I may need your help with finding some information."

"If we're done talking, do you think we can get back to the file?" Sly asked impatiently.

"Certainly," Bentley responded as he adjusted his glasses.

I helped Davin clean up in the kitchen as the others walked into another room. Bentley took out the file and he pulled out a map as he started pinpointing all of their locations. Davin and I walked out and joined them after a little bit and I took a glance at the map. Bentley had already managed to pinpoint each of their locations on it and there was a picture of each of them next to the x marks.

Now all we had to do was decide who to go after first and the answer to that became obvious very quickly.

A/N: Hey everyone. After looking at the poll, I decided to do the timeskip and jump to the point where Sly steals the file from Carmelita's office. I ended up using some of the same dialogue from the game in this chapter and will probably do so in the future, but I find when writing a fanfiction that it is pretty hard to avoid that entirely.

I'm going to try to put in some original dialogue for each character in the future, but I'm trying to make sure I write down stuff that they would actually say. If you notice anything off about the characters or if they're acting OOC then please let me know. This is my first fanfic and I want to make sure I pull it off correctly.

If you see any other mistakes or ways in which I can improve then please leave a review. If you like the story or don't like it then let me know why as well so I can see what I need to work on.


	15. Chapter 15: Tide of Terror Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Slender Man or Sly Cooper, but I did create Isaac and every other OC.

Chapter 15: Tide of Terror Part 1

Isaac

After spending a couple of days at the hideout, we were all ready to set off for the first of the Fiendish Five which, following the game, happened to be Sir Raleigh.

Right before we left, I briefly spoke with the voice and he told me that something had come up. He further explained that due to the severity of the issue that he wouldn't be able to assist me like he had normally done in the past and that I would be on my own. That was unless something major occurred that I couldn't fight against at which point he or someone else would step in as they couldn't afford to let me die.

I still haven't been told why I hold so much importance to them, but I'm grateful that I'm still alive. This also gives me the opportunity to truly see how far I've come and it'll present me with more of a challenge.

It's about time to take off the training wheels.

I had also made sure to talk to Bentley before we left about the book I had found in Garn's shop in London. I ended up handing the book to him and he told me that he would offer me assistance in finding the key to this damn thing.

You would think that after 10 years I would have found something, but apparently not. The voice hadn't been any help in that regard, but I think that might have been more due to him not wanting to help rather than being unable to.

Davin was also coming along with us which I was thankful for. It still irritated me that I couldn't sense other creatures or entities like he was able to, but at least I'll be able to with him around.

With all that being said, we were now heading towards the Isle O' Wrath which was located by the southwestern tip of Wales in the Celtic Sea.

Sly

As Murray drove down the road, Sly could be seen reading through the file again while Bentley worked on his computer in the back and Isaac started to zone out again.

"The road trip gave me the time I needed to study up on Sir Raleigh the frog." Sly said. "As a young man, this hot-tempered frog grew bored of his life of luxury and privilege. On a whim, he tried his hand at a fit of piracy and found it to his liking."

"Raleigh, who quickly became addicted to crime, was brought into the Fiendish Five as chief machinist where his evil tinkering genius rose to new heights." Sly continued. "The last reported sighting of this mad machinist was off the soggy coast of the Isle O' Wrath, a small island comfortably situated in the middle of the perilous Welsh Triangle."

**Sly Cooper in: Tide of Terror**

Once the music stopped playing, Isaac shook his head and looked out the front window of the Cooper Van to see that the scenery had changed.

They were now driving along a narrow road that stretched next to the sea. In the distance, the remains of sunken ships could be made out and up above the sky was dark and stormy.

"Say Bentley, do you know how much longer it's going to be until we reach Sir Raleigh's hideout?" Isaac asked as he was tired from the drive. "I'd like to get out and stretch my legs a bit."

Bentley looked up from his computer. "According to my directions, we should be there in approximately 5 minutes. Of course, that's just to get to the path leading up to it. From there, Sly will need to sneak past the guards and security and make his way in on foot."

"That's good." Isaac said. "We've been driving for at least 8 hours now and watching almost the same background go by the entire time is tiring. It's like being stuck in an old cartoon from the 60s."

"Hey Isaac, where'd Davin go?" Sly asked catching his attention. "I know he came with us, but I haven't seen him around."

Isaac lifted his fedora up and a small Davin could be seen sleeping in his hair.

"He's been there since we left Paris." Isaac answered. "With how little room there is in here, and seeing how tired he was, I thought it was the best spot for him to nap…which reminds me."

Isaac reached up and he gently shook Davin with his right index finger.

"Go away." Davin spoke tiredly while pushing Isaac's finger away. "Give me five more minutes."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Isaac replied with a smile. "We're close to our destination and I need you to be awake in case anything happens."

Davin slowly rubbed his eyes before standing up. Isaac gently grabbed Davin and he set him down on what little of the backseat remained as Davin returned to normal size.

After Isaac put his hat back on, they all just sat in silence, with the exception of Bentley's keystrokes, for the next couple of minutes until the van came to a stop. Murray then placed it in reverse and backed up along a bridge for Sly to get out. Once Sly was out, the rest of us drove back down the way we came to our nearby hideout.

Sly ran ahead through a short tunnel and made his way to the other side. It wasn't long after that he was contacted by Bentley and Sly pulled out his Binocucom to see what was up.

"Hey, Sly! I just spotted something that's going to complicate the mission." Bentley informed him worriedly. "See that nasty looking gate? It blocks the only road leading into Raleigh's hideout."

"No problem. I'll just use my climb move." Sly responded unfazed by this.

Bentley nodded his head. "Okay, but remember, you can only climb on certain objects. Like pipes and ropes…"

"Yeah sure, and like that ladder there?" Sly asked rhetorically.

"That is correct. But do not forget Sly, you have to get close…" Bentley said before getting cut off.

"…then hit the circle button…I mean grab the ladder to climb up it." Sly replied confused as to why that came out of his mouth. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, relax Bentley. I live for this stuff!"

Bentley shook his head. "Yeah, and that's what worries me."

Sly put his Binocucom away and was about to head for the ladder when he received another message. Slightly irritated, Sly pulled out his Binocucom again except this time it was Isaac contacting him.

"Sly, can you hear me?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, I can hear you Isaac. What's up?"

"Before you go forwards, you should make sure to carefully look around every area for clue bottles." Isaac informed him. "There will be little green, glass bottles scattered around with clues inside of them and finding them will reveal the codes for different vaults you'll find throughout this and other places."

"How are you aware of this?" Bentley asked speaking up.

In a calm voice, Isaac answered, "I'm aware of this because villains are stupid and that point will be proven here shortly before Sly gets to Raleigh's hideout."

"Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to look out for them." Sly replied before putting his Binocucom away once more.

Following Isaac's advice, he quickly found the first one on top of a nearby tree.

"Now this is very interesting." Bentley said. "As Isaac indicated, the message you just found appears to be some sort of clue! I'll decipher it here in the van. In the meantime, see if you can find any more clues. The more I have the easier it'll be to crack the code."

Sly soon traveled through the rest of the area and quickly found the clues before he climbed the ladder and dropped down on the other side of the gate.

Ahead of him, the path continued except there were nasty thorns on both sides that he couldn't risk touching and there were searchlights moving along the center.

Sly stopped here when he got another call from Bentley.

"Hold on, Sly. See those searchlights?" He asked once again pointing out the obvious. "One careless step and you'll be subjected to acute combustion!"

"Are you done whining?" Sly asked irritably. "Let's go!"

Bentley responded just as annoyed. "I'm just trying to keep you alive, "partner." Fortunately for you, I launched these signal repeaters throughout Raleigh's fortress. Get close to one and I can check point your progress!"

"Nice!"

"And up ahead, there should be two statues of Raleigh with clue bottles on top of them." Isaac chimed in. "Use the guard up ahead to reach them. His throwing stars should be strong enough to break them."

"Don't sweat it." Sly responded. "I've got it all handled."

"Just making sure," Isaac replied.

Sly continued from there and made his way past the searchlights. He also made sure to collect the clue bottles and he took out the guard. He ran further up the path which overlooked the sea until Raleigh's hideout and storm machine came into view. He received yet another call from Bentley and decided to answer it.

"_I don't know about Sly, but if that were me I'd get pretty irritated about having to answer the phone every 5 seconds." Isaac thought to himself._

"According to my Amphibio-Positioning System, that big blimp is where Raleigh is hiding out." Bentley informed Sly before he zoomed in on the storm machine.

"You know, that blimp looks more like a machine than a hide-out." Sly replied noticing something off about it.

"You're right, Sly." Bentley said confirming his suspicions. "That is a storm machine! It's the reason why it never stops raining around here."

"That explains all the wrecked ships."

"But why would Raleigh want bad weather at his own hide-out, 24-7?" Bentley asked honestly puzzled.

_I have to make sure I don't reveal I know too much._

"Well think about it." Isaac spoke up. "Raleigh is a frog and from what I've seen they tend to like rainy weather. Raleigh is also a master criminal and having a storm machine on hand would probably keep others from getting too close out of fear for their safety so he could continue his work undisturbed."

"That may very well be the case." Bentley replied agreeing with him.

"We also know that Raleigh is into piracy and those ships might have had a lot of valuables and treasure on them at one time." Isaac continued. "I'm not entirely certain, but he could be using his storm machine to sink and plunder the ships for their loot."

"You came to that conclusion awfully quickly." Bentley pointed out.

"If you take a look at the file and everything we know," Isaac responded. "Then you'll see that it isn't that difficult to figure out."

"Well whatever the reason," Sly said interrupting us. "Rain or shine, I'm going to steal my family's book back. And if Raleigh gets in my way…it's on."

Sly ran ahead and he quickly jumped through the currents created by the two nearby waterfalls.

Back at the Hideout

"I don't think you need to call Sly again." Isaac said as he spoke to Bentley. "He's a big boy. I think he can figure out that he needs to use his cane to swing from the hook to the other side of the gate."

"I'm just trying to make sure he gets through this in one piece." Bentley responded slightly annoyed as we watched Sly from our hideout.

"Just watch."

The four of us watched Sly take a running jump at the hook and use his cane to grab onto it. Sly then swung back and forth a few times until he gained enough momentum and he swung himself over to the opposite side of the gate.

"I told you he could do it." Isaac said.

"Yes, I can see that." Bentley replied. "But he isn't going to be able to face every obstacle alone."

"That is true." Isaac admitted. "There are some things that he will need our help with, but you don't have to hold his hand the entire way."

We all sat there and continued to monitor Sly's progress when Isaac remembered something.

"Now that I remember, Murray," Isaac said catching his attention. "Have you been training everyday like I told you to?"

"You bet Isaac!" Murray spoke with enthusiasm. "I've been training so much that those evildoers won't know what hit them."

"That's good. There are people out there that Sly won't be able to fight and he might need your help on these missions."

"Not a problem!" Murray replied. "With me having his back, no one will stand in our way."

_There's a little bit of "The Murray" showing._

Isaac then felt a tug on his pant leg and saw Davin trying to get his attention.

"Is there something wrong Davin?"

Davin nodded his head. "I don't know who or what they are, but I can feel a few presences approaching where Sly is heading."

"Can you tell if they're sapient or if they mean well?"

Davin shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I think you should still go check it out."

"All right," Isaac replied. "I guess I'll head over there. Can one of you guys tell Sly I'm on my way?"

Murray gave Isaac a thumbs up. "Can do!"

"Thanks."

Back with Sly

Isaac stepped out of the hideout in his wolf form and he headed up the path while Sly continued to search for the clue bottles. When he found the last one, Sly received another message from Bentley.

"You found it Sly!" Bentley spoke with excitement. "That's the final clue to crack the code! Now find the vault and I'll give you instructions to open it."

Sly walked up to the vault he had already found and prepared to put in the code.

"The clues have lead me to believe that the code for this vault is 7-9-2." Bentley told him.

Once the code was put in, Sly opened the vault and music played once again as he did.

"I really need to talk to Isaac about why that happens." Bentley said. "None of my scanners indicate any cause as to why this occurs and I am honestly baffled as there is no explanation for it that I can find."

Bentley coughed into his hand. "Getting back to the matter at hand, you've found a page from the Thievius Raccoonus! This page teaches old Drake Cooper's FAST ATTACK DIVE MOVE."

"Awesome." Sly simply replied.

Bentley then remembered what Isaac said. "Now that I remember, Isaac said that he was heading towards your direction Sly. Apparently, something of a supernatural nature is occurring up ahead and he wanted to take care of it before you proceeded to Raleigh's hideout."

Sly nodded. "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for him."

When they were finished talking, Sly continued ahead and found one of Raleigh's treasure keys sitting in a case right by the locked gate.

"This is the reason why I said villains are stupid." Isaac said right behind Sly which caused him to jump. "I mean who in the hell leaves a key to what is basically their house out in the open like this. It makes it too easy for others to sneak in. If it were me, I'd keep stuff like this on me at all times, but I guess now's not the time to be worrying about it."

Sly quickly regained his composure and asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

"I walked here." Isaac replied like it was a common occurrence. "And don't ask any more about it because I don't entirely understand it myself."

Sly just decided to move past it and asked, "So what's up ahead?"

"I don't know yet." Isaac responded. "I'll let you open the gate and then we'll find out."

Sly then proceeded to break open the case with his cane and he unlocked the gate before the two of them stepped into the tunnel.

When they came out the other side, Sly and Isaac traveled the rest of the way until Raleigh's hideout came into view. Or it would have had a thick mist not appeared which obscured their vision.

Isaac walked ahead of Sly and there was a hook that could be used to travel downwards towards the sea. Before he grabbed ahold of it, Isaac turned towards Sly with a grin and asked, "Would you like to see an example of the kind of stuff I deal with? I don't feel anything and usually if a creature or something else intends to harm someone I'm aware of it."

"Sure. Sounds interesting," Sly replied feeling no fear whatsoever.

Isaac traveled down into the mist first and Sly quickly came down after him. At the bottom, they landed on a small piece of land with a post and a lantern next to them. They only ended up standing there for about 10 seconds before Isaac noticed two fiery orbs looking at them through the mist which was accompanied by a few splashes of water. The eyes slowly grew closer until they came to a stop and the owner of them was revealed.

The creature that stood before them had the appearance of a gray horse like one you would see back home rather than an anthro. It possessed a long white mane which glowed and flowed like the ocean and its body seemed to be one with the mist.

"Are you Isaac?" The creature asked.

"And who would be asking?" Isaac asked right back.

"I beg your pardon, but I have been sent to deliver a message to the one known as Isaac." The creature informed him. "I was told that it was of the utmost importance that I get it to him."

"That would be me then." Isaac replied. "Before you give me the message, might I have a name and how you know of me?"

"I do apologize. My name is Hadren (Ha-dren) and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Hadren answered politely. "As to how I know of you, you're known as "The One Who Got Away" among a few circles within our plane of existence."

_I hope this doesn't make me into Harry Potter._

"That's interesting I guess. Pushing that aside, do you think you could tell me the message?"

"Certainly, the message they wanted me to convey is that they wanted to meet with you to the east by some of the wrecked ships to discuss a problem they're dealing with." Hadren informed.

"Can you tell me who they are?" Isaac asked.

"Unfortunately I can't. They told me that they would reveal themselves when you arrived."

"Of course they did." Isaac spoke mildly irritated. "Well I guess I'll head over there. Do the ships they want to meet at have any names so I can know I have the right ones?"

"They'll make themselves known when you get there." Hadren informed. "Now that I have that taken care of, I must be off. I have other matters to attend to."

"I need to tell you one last thing before you go." Isaac spoke causing him to stop. "If this is a trap or if you're setting me up for something, then I will find you."

Once Isaac finished his sentence, Hadren vanished back into the mist which soon went away itself and Isaac was left standing there wondering what these people could want of him. Isaac turned and saw Sly standing behind him with a mildly surprised look on his face.

"That was…"

"Strange, odd, curious," Isaac finished for him. "You can take your pick. What you just saw is pretty common for me although I usually deal with monsters that lack sapience. This is the first time a creature or being has ever come asking me for help."

"So what's your plan now?" Sly asked.

Isaac put his hand to his chin. "I think that I'll go see what's going on. But first, I'm going to take you back up."

"How are you going to do that?"

Isaac grinned at him. "Remember how I said I walked here? Well, I can't really tell you about it, but I can show you."

Isaac reached out and firmly placed his hand on Sly's shoulder. The two of them then disappeared and reappeared back on the cliff overlooking the sea within the blink of an eye. Sly fell back on his ass looking a little shaken and Isaac let out a small laugh at this.

"Doing that can be a little uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it overtime." Isaac commented. "I'm going to go see what those people want from me now."

"Before you go, can you tell me what that thing was?" Sly asked.

"That was the Ceffyl Dwr." Isaac answered. "And quite frankly, he is not to be trusted nor is any other creature that inhabits the water or sea. I always hear about people getting drowned, seduced or killed in one manner or another and I'm sick of hearing it."

**Ceffyl Dwr**

It is a water horse from Welsh folklore that is said to be similar to the kelpie which is found in Scotland. Just like other creatures, there are varying accounts of what he is like.

In the northern part of Wales, he is apparently seen as being more evil in nature while to the south he is seen in a more positive light. There are also tales of him trampling lone travelers to death and dropping unfortunate riders from the air to their deaths below.

He is said to reside in mountain pools and waterfalls and even though he appears to be solid, he has been seen evaporating into the mist. He is also a shape shifter and is capable of flight. There are some accounts that say that he can fly without the use of wings though others say he possesses them.

With that answered, Isaac then ran and jumped off the cliff which caused Sly to worry a bit. A golden eagle suddenly flew upwards from where Isaac used to be.

"I'll see you in a little while." Isaac said. "From the looks of it, you're going to be stuck here until I'm done. Make sure to remember not to trust any creature you see unless I okay it."

Isaac then flew away leaving Sly wondering what he meant.

"Sly do you read me?" Bentley asked worriedly.

"Yeah I hear you Bentley." Sly responded rubbing his head. "I just have a little bit of a headache."

"That's good." Bentley said relieved. "I lost contact with you for a moment and thought something had happened."

"I'm fine. Can we just get on with the mission?" Sly asked wanting to bring some normality back to things.

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to proceed at this time and unless you feel like going for a swim, then there's no other way in." Bentley replied before Sly zoomed in on the hideout. "There are currently too many guards wandering around for you to sneak past and it looks as if Raleigh's security measures have been strengthened recently. It's almost as if he was frightened by something."

"There's got to be something I can do." Sly said.

Bentley shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but I'm going to keep looking into it. In the meantime, you could try keeping an eye on Raleigh's hideout to see if there's some way in that I missed."

"Copy that."

The call then ended and Sly stood there thinking that there had to be some way of getting past the guards and security.

Isaac

I left Sly behind as I made my way to the east. I ended up flying for about 5 minutes and those five minutes, even with the weather, were great.

_I'm really glad that I got over my fear of heights for the most part. Flying is amazing._

I soon felt someone giving off their presence and I landed on one of the ships below. I looked around, but there wasn't anyone in sight. The sound of splashing then reached my ears and I glanced over the side of the ship towards the sea.

What met my eyes was the sight of three beautiful mermaids letting the waves of the sea wash over them. Or they would have been beautiful had I not been aware of their true nature and how hideous they actually were on the inside. The only way I could tell the difference between them is that they each had a color theme going.

One of them had ocean blue hair, one was a brunette and the last one was a blonde. Unlike how they're commonly depicted, they were each wearing a bra, but even if they weren't I'd still be suspicious of them.

"What do you want?" I asked angrily.

_Ever since I was a kid, I have always had a fear and eventual anger for the ocean or really any body of water. Like my fear of heights, I think that this came from a dream I had at the age of either 3 or 4._

_In my dream, I was in my house at night and had just stepped out of my room. The whole house was dark and everything was dimly lit as the only source of light was from the stairway. The light was much weaker than it was in real life and it looked as if it was about to go out._

_I looked into my parents' room, but I couldn't see anyone nor could I see anyone anywhere else even though I only checked the one room. I then carefully walked down the stairs, which were broken up as if someone hit them with a hammer or an axe, all the way to the bottom and when I got there I was suddenly grabbed around the ankles. I was then quickly pulled up the stairs within seconds into my parents' room and I was dragged underneath their bed. The last thing I saw was a wall of water which I guessed meant I was drowned._

_I don't know what caused me to dream of this, but it's kind of strange that I would dream of dying at such a young age from falling and presumed drowning only for them to eventually become my two biggest phobias._

_Though I fear drowning, it's not my other phobia. Not knowing what lurks beneath the waves is what really bothers me. Add on that a number of creatures that I thought were fictitious actually exist and that makes the ocean even more terrifying._

"We would like to ask for your help in solving our current predicament." The blue one stated.

"And what would that be?" I said. "I don't have all day."

"Very well, as I'm sure you've noticed, there happens to be a massive storm which is originating from that blimp." She said while pointing at it.

"Thank you for pointing that out." I replied. "I don't think I ever would have noticed it if you hadn't told me."

"Why are you being so rude?" The blonde asked.

"I'm being rude because I don't really trust anything that comes from the water, with maybe a few exceptions, and because you're all mermaids and everything I've heard about your kind isn't good."

"And what have you heard?" The brunette asked.

I started counting off fingers. "I've heard of you using your voices to lure men out to sea to drown them. I've heard of you taking away a man's free will and seducing him or convincing him to marry you. There have been numerous accounts of your kind sinking ships and I also recall different instances where a mermaid tried to steal or obtain a human soul so that they wouldn't disappear forever when they died. Need I go on?"

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." The brunette said.

"Well I've found from experience that stories usually have a bit of truth to them so naturally I'm suspicious of you." I responded. "Now please continue."

"What we wanted to ask is if you could take care of it." The blue one spoke. "Before that frog came here years ago, my sisters and I used to reside in this area in peace. With his arrival, the waters became unstable and the other people were scared away. We would like for this place to be returned to its former beauty."

"Thanks for the pointless trip." I replied annoyed. "I was already on my way to handle it before you three sent Hadren to get me. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off."

"It won't be that easy." The brunette said.

"Before we continue, can you give me your names?" I asked. "It makes it easier to identify each of you by rather than by your hair color."

"I'm Ophelia." The brunette replied.

"I'm Lorelei." The blonde spoke.

"And I'm Valencia." The blue one finished for them.

"Good, now that that's taken care of, can you tell me why I can't just waltz in there?" I asked.

Valencia spoke up. "There is a being that has made its home within the frog's hideout and it thrives on the destruction that the storm causes."

"Its name is Yandrick." Ophelia continued for her. "He is basically a glowing eyeball with tentacles."

"With his presence, he has been destroying not just our live but also those of the other beings living around here and he is very powerful." Lorelei picked up. "Yandrick is somehow able to keep any of us from getting closer and his powers have also influenced the men walking around the hideout by making them stronger."

"Will you help us get rid of him?" Valencia asked.

I sighed. "I'll head over there and I'll check out the situation first to see what's going on. If he is really as bad as you say then I might do something about it, but I want to make sure I have all of my facts straight."

"Thank you for helping us." Ophelia said.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." I replied. "I'm not doing this to help you but rather myself. I still don't trust you and as I told Hadren, if this is a trap or if you're using me for evil purposes then I will come back here. You don't want to know what kind of powers I possess."

As I flew away, I heard Lorelei say, "And be careful of his influence!"

I just shook my head as I flew back towards Raleigh's hideout. I try not to be mean, but after 10 years of this stuff, it's hard not to be. Aside from the stories and my dream, I've also had a few experiences with water creatures that ended with me having to fight them.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think they're up to something. I just need to figure out what it is first.

For now though, I need to pay someone a visit.


End file.
